India modernises nuclear programme, deploys warheads for first time: Sipri

India slightly expanded its nuclear arsenal in 2025 and is increasingly focusing on long-range weapons capable of reaching targets across China, according to Sipri

India has expanded its nuclear arsenal but, more importantly, the country has modernised its nuclear programme, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (Sipri).   

 

For the first time, India has deployed 12 nuclear warheads from its stockpile of 190, the report suggested. 

 

India is understood to have separately stored its nuclear warheads and delivery systems such as missiles.

 

India’s nuclear policy is based on two main approaches: “No first use” and a minimum credible deterrence. 

 

The country is believed to have once again slightly expanded its nuclear arsenal in 2025 and continued developing new types of nuclear delivery systems, the 2026 Sipri report on global nuclear powers, published on June 8, said.

 

 

It added the country’s nuclear modernisation “is increasingly focused on developing long-range weapons capable of reaching targets throughout China, although planning also continues to be focused on India’s long-standing rivalry with Pakistan”.

 

According to a separate (2020) article, by Sipri experts Hans M Kristensen and Matt Korda, “India appears to be taking steps to increase the responsiveness of its arsenal by ‘canisterizing’ some of its ballistic missiles”. 

 

They said this referred to keeping missiles in a tube to protect them from the elements while being transported.

 

Missiles can also be launched directly from canisters through a process that involves using a gas generator to eject the missile from the canister before ignition. Missiles launched from canisters are “pre-mated” with their warheads to ensure rapid launch. Submarines on deterrence patrol are expected to have “pre-mated” warheads. 

 

Pakistan in 2025 continued to develop delivery systems and accumulate fissile material, suggesting that its nuclear arsenal might expand over the coming decade, the new report said. 

 

“The brief armed conflict between India and Pakistan in 2025 saw India attacking Pakistani air-and-missile bases that are likely to have nuclear-related roles, but both sides took steps to avoid escalation.” 

 

While Pakistan, which has a stockpile of 170, does not have any nuclear warheads deployed, the Sipri report showed China had 34 deployed warheads. 

 

The report estimated China had around 620 nuclear warheads. “China is expanding its arsenal faster than any other country” and showcased several new nuclear systems during its 2025 military parade. By January, China had loaded hundreds of missiles into three large missile silo fields in the country’s north, while working to complete 30 silos in three mountainous areas in the country’s east, the report added.

 

Depending on how it structures its forces, China could have at least as many intercontinental ballistic missiles as either Russia or the United States (US) by the turn of the decade, according to the report. Even if China surpasses 1,000 warheads by 2030, that will still amount to only about one-quarter of each of the current Russian and US nuclear stockpiles.

 

In 2025, Russia had the highest deployed warheads at 1,796 from its stockpile of 4,000 or so, and the US had 1,770 from its stockpile of 3,700. 

 

Israel, which does not publicly acknowledge possessing nuclear weapons, is believed to be modernising its arsenal. In 2025, “Israel intensified construction” at a new site at the Negev Nuclear Research Center, and this could be related to its nuclear capabilities, the report said. 

 

While nuclear programmes have always been shrouded in secrecy, in recent years nuclear-armed states have shifted further towards strategic ambiguity and opacity even as they modernise and expand their nuclear forces, the report added in assessment.