Nuclear weapons

Nuclear weapons of the world

China's nuclear weapons

Main article: China's nuclear weapons

2024: Russia has developed a new simulator of a nuclear explosion

At the end of January 2024, it became known that Russian specialists from the Military Academy of Logistics named after Army General A.V. Khrulev developed a new simulator of a nuclear explosion. The decision is designed to improve the quality of training of ground forces units for hostilities in the context of the use of nuclear weapons. Read more here.

2023

The United States failed tests of the country's first mine-based intercontinental ballistic missile. It was created by Boeing

The US Air Force destroyed the Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile due to an anomaly identified during a test launch. This was reported on November 1, 2023 on the website of the United States Air Force Global Strike Command. Read more here.

In the United States created an X-ray photo booth for $2 billion to model nuclear weapons

On October 5, 2023, the US Department of Energy Sandia National Laboratory spoke about a large-scale project called Scorpius, the purpose of which is to organize underground tests of nuclear weapons without actual explosions. The implementation of the initiative will cost almost $2 billion. Read more here.

Russia and the United States have increased the number of deployed nuclear warheads over the year

Nuclear powers are increasing the number of deployed nuclear warheads. This is stated in the report of the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), which was published on June 12, 2023.

The document says that nine nuclear powers USA Russia Britain-,,,,,,, and France China- India Pakistan Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) Israel continue to modernize their nuclear arsenals.

Of the total global stock of warheads, which amounted to 12,512 as of January 2023, about 9,576 were in military warehouses for potential use - this is 86 units more than in January 2022.

Russia and the United States together possess almost 90% of all nuclear weapons. The size of their respective nuclear arsenals (that is, warheads suitable for use) seems to have remained relatively stable in 2022, although transparency regarding nuclear forces has declined in both countries due to the current geopolitical situation.

It is said that the leaders in the number of deployed warheads in January 2023 were the United States with 1,770 pieces against 1,744 in January 2022. Next comes Russia - 1674 pieces against 1588 pieces a year earlier. Then France with 280 warheads and Britain with 120 pieces are located - these states have not changed in a year.

If we consider the total number of warheads, both deployed and stored, then in the United States the figure for the year has not changed - 3708 pieces. In Russia, the number, according to SIPRI, increased from 4477 to 4489 units.

According to the authors of the report, the size of China's total nuclear arsenal has increased from 350 warheads in January 2022 to 410 in January 2023, and it is expected to continue to grow. It is noted that China has begun to significantly expand its nuclear potential.

It is increasingly difficult to reconcile this trend with China's stated goal of having only the minimum nuclear forces necessary to maintain its national security, "said Hans M. Kristensen, senior fellow at SIPRI's Weapons of Mass Destruction program.[1]

Countries with the largest reserves of raw materials for nuclear weapons

In Russia and the United States - the largest reserves of raw materials for nuclear weapons
For China, data on traces of the presence of highly enriched uranium and plutonium in the country
As of
March 2023

2022

Exercises of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation on a retaliatory nuclear strike

October 26, 2022 Ministry of Defence RUSSIAN FEDERATION showed a video of training on a retaliatory nuclear strike. All components of the nuclear triad were trained: the actions of combat crews on a submarine, the Yars missile system and the Tu-95MS crew.

Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu

The published videos show the actions of the combat crew at the command post of the nuclear submarine Tula"" on the training alert "missile attack." The boat plunges to a depth of 50 meters and moves at a speed of 4.5 knots. The commander gives instructions to leave the fourth and fifth compartments, then presses the "salvo" button. The video shows the launch of the rocket from the side.

In addition, Tu-95MS aircraft were involved in training strategic deterrence forces, which launched air-launched cruise missiles.

The president Russia Vladimir Putin is leading a training session to launch a massive nuclear strike in response to an enemy nuclear strike, the head said Ministry of Defense of Russia Sergei Shoigu on October 26, 2022.

{{quote 'Comrade Supreme Commander, in accordance with the training plan of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, under your leadership, a training session is being held to manage the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, during which the tasks of delivering a massive nuclear strike by strategic offensive forces in response to an enemy nuclear strike will be worked out, - the Minister reported to the President. }} The Kremlin's website states that under the leadership of Vladimir Putin, a training session was held for ground, naval and aviation strategic deterrence forces, during which practical launches of ballistic and cruise missiles took place.

It is noted that "the tasks provided for during the training of strategic deterrence forces have been completed in full, all missiles have reached their targets, confirming the specified characteristics."^[2]

A service has been launched that simulates the consequences of a nuclear strike anywhere in the world

At the end of September 2022, it became known about the work of the "nuclear bomb simulator" Nukemap. We are talking about a service developed by the historian of nuclear weapons, associate professor at the Stevens Institute of Technology in Hoboken Alex Wellerstein. Read more here.

Number of countries developing nuclear weapons

Map of nuclear warheads in Europe

Russian Navy received a carrier of "Doomsday weapons"

On July 8, 2022, the first Poseidon naval drone carrier submarine, Belgorod, was officially transferred to the Russian Navy (Navy). Thus, the Russian fleet received the first regular carrier of nuclear torpedoes, considered "Yom Kippur weapons." Poseidon drones can carry conventional and nuclear munitions, which will allow them to hit different targets: aircraft carrier groups, coastal fortifications and infrastructure. Read more here.

2021

Nuclear arsenals of countries of the world as of October 21, 2021

2020

Spending on nuclear arsenals in the world increased by $1.4 billion

According to the results, spending on nuclear arsenals in the world increased by $1.4 billion and reached $72.6 billion (corresponding to spending $137,666 every minute). This is evidenced by data published in a study by the International Campaign for the Elimination of Nuclear Weapons (ICAN). 

The list of leading countries in terms of spending on nuclear weapons is as follows:

• USA - $37.4 billion;
• China - $10.1 billion;
• Russia - $8 billion;
• UK - $6.2 billion;
• France - $5.7 billion;
• India - $2.48 billion;
• Israel - $1.1 billion;
• Pakistan - $1 billion;
• North Korea - $667 million.

According to the authors of the report, Russia in 2020, taking into account inflation, spent $600 million less on nuclear weapons than a year earlier. According to the calculations of researchers, Russia in 2020 spent $15,222 every minute on nuclear weapons. In total, there were 6257 units of such weapons in the Russian Federation that can be launched from ground missiles, submarines and aircraft. The share of nuclear arsenals in Russia's military spending (reached $61.7 billion) at the end of 2020 amounted to 13%.

In June 2020, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree approving the Fundamentals of the State Policy of the Russian Federation in the field of nuclear deterrence. In accordance with it, Russia considers nuclear weapons "exclusively as a deterrent, the use of which is an extreme and necessary measure."

US spent five times more on nuclear weapons than Russia

The study says that the increase in global spending on nuclear weapons in the context of the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic is due only to business interests. Thus, about 10 companies representing nuclear powers received new and extended existing orders totaling $27.7 billion for the production of such weapons. After that, these companies spent $117 million on lobbying to expand funding for defense interests. And then they spent another $10 million on financial support for analytical centers that conduct research and publish reports on nuclear weapons policy.^[3]

United States plans nuclear tests as act of deterrence for first time since 1992

A senior administration official and two former officials familiar with the recent White House meeting told The Washington Post in May 2020 that similar discussions took place at a meeting of senior national security officials.

The discussion of possible nuclear tests began as a response to suspicions of such by Russia and China, although no evidence was presented for such accusations... but Washington's lack of evidence never stopped.

A senior administration official told WP that demonstrating to Russia and China, the two main adversaries, the possibility of the United States conducting "rapid tests" could provide Washington with leverage to reach a trilateral nuclear deal.

2019

Nuclear weapons have become smaller, but their power has grown

Nuclear weapons have become smaller, but their power has only become larger. Such results of 2019 were announced by the Stockholm Institute for Peace Research in mid-June 2020.

According to experts, by the beginning of 2020, there were 13.4 thousand nuclear warheads in the world against 13.8 thousand a year earlier. Of these, 1,800 are on high alert, and another 3,720 are stored in the warehouses of operational units. In Russia, 1.57 thousand nuclear warheads have been deployed and 4.8 thousand are in reserve. In the United States - 1.75 thousand on duty and 4 thousand - in warehouses.

Nuclear arsenal of countries, data from the Stockholm Peace Research Institute

The reduction in the total number of nuclear weapons in the world in 2019 was largely due to the disposal of nuclear weapons removed from equipping the armed forces of Russia and the United States, which together still possess more than 90% of the world's nuclear weapons reserves.

At the same time, weapons of mass destruction are being modernized, and the future of control systems over them is vague. First of all, we are talking about the withdrawal of the United States from the treaty on intermediate-range and shorter-range missiles. In addition, the SNV-3 Strategic Offensive Arms Treaty expires in 2021. The extension of this document is questionable: the States insist on the participation of China in it, but the PRC is against it.

The institute's analysts warn that tense relations between Beijing, Moscow and Washington, as well as a lack of progress in negotiations on arms control agreements, could lead to a new arms race.

The SNV-3 treaty provides for each country to reduce the number of deployed nuclear warheads to 1,550, and intercontinental ballistic missiles and missiles deployed on submarines and heavy bombers to 700 units. It also involves mutual inspections and data sharing.^[4]

Nuclear spending hits record $72.9 billion

The cost of nuclear weapons in the world at the end of 2019 reached a record $72.9 billion, which is 10% more than a year earlier. This is evidenced by data from the International Campaign for the Elimination of Nuclear Weapons (ICAN).

The United States in 2019 spent $35.4 billion on building up its nuclear arsenal, which roughly corresponds to the total costs of the next eight countries combined. Nuclear weapons in the United States accounted for about 5% of military spending for 2019, the report says.

Nuclear Spending Leaders, ICAN Data

Russia, which announced the development of a complex of new weapons, spent about $8.5 billion on nuclear weapons in 2019 against $8 billion a year earlier. Every minute the country spent an average of $16,172 on such an arsenal. the volume of which reached 6370 units. In the United States, it is smaller and amounts to about 5,800 ammunition.

China, which has much less nuclear power than the United States and Russia, but seeks to expand, spent $10.4 billion in 2019, which is $400 million more than a year ago.

It also follows from the report that in 2019 the DPRK spent $620 million on the development of nuclear weapons, which almost exactly corresponds to the costs of the previous year. In the arsenal of the DPRK 35 there are nuclear weapons.

It is now more clear than ever that nuclear weapons do not provide security for the world in the midst of a global pandemic, and even for nine countries that have nuclear weapons, especially when there are documented shortages of medical supplies and depleted medical workers, said the lead author of the ICAN report, Alicia Sanders-Zakre.

ICAN is an international public organization established in 2007 to promote the approval and implementation of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. In 2017, she received the Nobel Peace Prize.^[5]

US deceives Russia in reprocessing weapons-grade plutonium

An agreement was concluded between the Russian Federation and the United States on the processing of part of weapons-grade plutonium into fuel for nuclear power plants. At the time of its conclusion in the Russian Federation there were 125 tons of plutonium, in the United States - 100 tons. It was supposed to process 34 tons on each side. The Russian side fulfilled its part of the agreement, and the United States, in violation of the agreements, changed the technology and retained the possibility of "restoring" recycled plutonium to weapons, in connection with which Russia withdrew from the agreement.

1958: Creation of a nuclear bomb in France by Bertrand Goldschmidt, a participant in nuclear developments in the United States

In 1945, a few weeks after the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Charles de Gaulle, then a general in the French army, created the Atomic Energy Commission, which he kept secret from parliament until 1958.

Having come to power, he made the France implementation of nuclear aspirations a top priority. In 15 years, the commission created the first atomic bomb. Her "father" was Bertrand Goldschmidt, who worked with Marie Curie and participated in the Manhattan Nuclear USA Weapons Project.

Notes