In this article, we discuss the 5 countries that have nuclear weapons or nuclear weapon technology. To read the detailed history and progression of nuclear weapons and technology, you can go directly to 15 Countries That Have Nuclear Weapons Or Nuclear Power Technology.
5. United Kingdom
Number of Nuclear Warheads in 2022: 225
The United Kingdom was one of the first countries to recognize the power of nuclear weapons and made major contributions to the US Manhattan Project. However, in 1946, The McMahon Bill, restricted all other countries including the UK from accessing nuclear knowledge, the country started its own project named HER or High Explosive Research. The United Kingdom launched its first successful nuclear test on October 3, 1952, on the Monte Bello Islands in Western Australia. The device was called “Hurricane” and it had a yield of 25 kilotonnes. The country is estimated to have 225 nuclear warheads.
The United Kingdom operates around 9 nuclear reactors that produce around 5.9 GigaWatt of electricity. In 2005, the country listed 20 reactors to be decommissioned.
4. France
Number of Nuclear Warheads in 2022: 290
The codename for the first French nuclear test was Gerboise Bleue. 17 test detonations took place between 1960 and 1966 in the Algerian Sahara, with four of them being atmospheric detonations. During the Cold War, it is believed that France was a nuclear supplier to Israel, India, South Africa, Iran, and Iraq before it signed the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT). At the moment, it is estimated that France has a nuclear arsenal of around 290 warheads.
France has been generating electricity through nuclear energy since 1970. 70% of the electricity in France is generated through nuclear power. However, the government is working toward reducing it to 50% by 2035. As of December 2022, the country has 56 operating reactors, 1 is under construction, and 14 have been shut down.
Additionally, France is the world’s biggest net exporter of electricity and generates around €3 billion per annum from it. The country provides 15% of all of Europe’s electric power through exports.
3. China
Number of Nuclear Warheads in 2022: 350 – 400
China’s first nuclear test took place on October 16, 1964. It was called Project 596. According to some sources, China has 350 warheads. However, Pentagon disagrees and believes that the country has a stockpile of over 400 warheads and is projected to take this number up to 1,500 by 2035. Nevertheless, China is one of the countries that advocates the complete dismantling of nuclear weapons by all countries.
China is working fast towards its ‘carbon neutrality by 2060’ goal and nuclear-powered electricity generation is one of the steps that the country is taking toward it. Currently, nuclear power generates 3% of the country’s electricity. Currently, China has plans to build 150 new reactors, worth $440 billion by 2035, and 17 of them are already under construction.
For its nuclear power generation program, China has made a deal with Kazakhstan, which is the largest Uranium producer in the world.
2. United States
Number of Nuclear Warheads in 2022: 5428
The United States was the first country to create a nuclear bomb and is the only country that has dropped nuclear bombs during a war. The country’s nuclear project was called the “Manhattan Project” and it was established in 1942. USA’s first nuclear test was conducted on July 16, 1945, a few miles south of Socorro, New Mexico. On July 6th, 1945, the US dropped its first nuclear bomb on Hiroshima and the second one was dropped on August 9 on Nagasaki. The first one was a Uranium bomb while the second one was a Plutonium bomb.
It is estimated that the United States has 5428 nuclear warheads and 1720 of them have been retired. Moreover, 1644 of them have been deployed and 1964 remain undeployed. Between 1965 and 1967, four countries had a total of over 40,000 nuclear weapons, and over 31,000 of them were held by the US.
The US generated 19% of its electricity from nuclear power plants and has 93 commercial reactors under operation. However, 25 reactors in the country are in their decommissioning phase. Currently, the USA is planning to construct another eight reactors.
1. Russia
Number of Nuclear Warheads in 2022: 5977
Russia was the second country to test its nuclear weapons a few years after the United States dropped bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945. It is one of the five states recognized under the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT). Russia performed its first nuclear bomb test on August 29, 1949. They called the project “First Lightning.”
According to sources, Russia has 5977 nuclear warheads and 1500 of them have been retired or awaiting dismantlement. Moreover, 2889 warheads are undeployed and 1588 are deployed on heavy bomber bases, land-based intercontinental ballistic missiles, and submarine-launched ballistic missiles. On top of that, Russia has 2000 nonstrategic, low-yield nuclear weapons that are not subjected to any treaty. The highest number of nuclear warheads held by Russia was 40,159 in 1986.
Russia is the sixth largest Uranium producer in the world and mined 2,635 tonnes of the radioactive element in 2021. It had the largest Uranium enrichment capacity by 2018. Moreover, Russia has 38 nuclear reactors in the country and 15 nuclear reactors operating in 11 other countries.
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