Report Suggests India Has Begun Deploying Nuclear Warheads
In its latest annual publication, SIPRI Yearbook 2026, the institute estimated that India’s nuclear arsenal had expanded to “about 190 nuclear weapons as of January 2026,” compared with an estimated 180 warheads a year earlier.
According to the report, this development could signal a departure from India's traditional practice of keeping nuclear warheads separated from their launch platforms during peacetime.
SIPRI stated that India’s growing arsenal is being integrated into a more advanced nuclear triad consisting of aircraft, land-based missile systems, and nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines.
The institute noted that recent military developments, including the use of canisterized missile systems and the conduct of sea-based nuclear deterrence patrols, “suggest that India could be shifting in the direction of mating some of its warheads with their launchers in peacetime.”
The report also indicated that additional nuclear warheads may currently be under production to support future missile deployments. According to SIPRI’s evaluation, India may have already placed a limited number of nuclear warheads aboard a Ship, Submersible, Ballistic, Nuclear (SSBN) platform by January.
Beyond its existing capabilities, the report stated that New Delhi is continuing work on hypersonic cruise missile technology as part of its broader military modernization efforts.
SIPRI estimated that neighboring Pakistan’s nuclear arsenal remained largely unchanged during the same period, standing at approximately 170 warheads as of January.
The study further suggested that India’s strategic planning increasingly emphasizes longer-range weapons systems that appear designed with China in mind, although its longstanding security competition with Pakistan continues to play a major role in shaping defense policy.
According to the report, China possessed an estimated 620 nuclear warheads at the beginning of the year, with 34 of them believed to be in a deployed state.
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