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NEW DELHI: A reputed planetary bid deliberation vessel has made the large assertion that India whitethorn person shifted its atomic posture to a ready-to-strike mode by deploying 12 warheads connected transportation vehicles, including perchance 1 atomic submarine.
This marks a large alteration due to the fact that India had truthful acold kept warheads and transportation systems separately.When a atomic warhead is ‘deployed’, it means the atomic warhead is actively mounted connected missiles oregon loaded onto bombers and, having been mated, is acceptable for contiguous use.This appraisal is portion of the latest study of the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). The study besides mentioned that the fig of India’s atomic warheads had accrued to 190 arsenic of Jan 2026, compared to the earlier 180.
However, determination is nary alteration successful India’s “no archetypal use” argumentation erstwhile it comes to a atomic attack.The study said, “It has agelong been assumed that India stores its atomic warheads abstracted from its deployed launchers during peacetime. However, the country’s caller moves towards placing missiles successful canisters and conducting sea-based deterrence patrols suggest that India could beryllium shifting successful the absorption of mating immoderate of its warheads with their launchers successful peacetime.
“These (nuclear) weapons were assigned to a maturing atomic triad of aircraft, land-based missiles and SSBNs (a specialised people of nuclear-powered submarines designed to transportation and motorboat nuclear-armed ballistic missiles). More warheads are thought to beryllium successful accumulation for further missiles,” it said. Based connected this assessment, SIPRI estimated that, arsenic of Jan 2026, India whitethorn person started to deploy a tiny fig of atomic warheads connected a azygous SSBN conducting occasional deterrence patrols.
Indian Navy presently operates 3 SSBNs: INS Arihant, INS Arighaat and INS Aridhaman -- the past was reportedly commissioned successful April 2026. India’s 4th SSBN—reportedly named INS Arisudan—is expected to participate work successful 2027.As per the report, India’s craft (nuclear) launchers are 16 launchers of Jaguar IS (with 16 warheads) and 32 launchers of Mirage 2000Hs (32 warheads). For land-based launches, determination are 24 Prithvi II rocket launchers (24 warheads), 16 Agni-I (16), 16 Agni-II (16), 16 Agni-III (16), 8 Agni-IV (8), and 8 Agni-V missiles (with 24 warheads owed to aggregate independently targetable re-entry vehicle-MIRV capability).
There are 16 launchers with SLBMs — mostly 12 warheads that tin beryllium carried by K15 (B-05) missiles. Besides them, 2 further land-based missiles are nether development: a medium-range ballistic rocket (Agni-P) and an intercontinental ballistic rocket (Agni-VI), the study said.Pakistan's stockpile remains unchanged astatine astir 170 warheads. The study said some India and Pakistan continued to make caller types of atomic limb transportation systems successful 2025, and some are pursuing the capableness to deploy aggregate warheads connected ballistic missiles.
India has precocious fielded an intermediate-range rocket with MIRV capability—Agni-V IRBM. A trial motorboat of the rocket successful March 2024 reportedly progressive MIRV exertion and the tracking of ‘multiple re-entry vehicles’.In January, 9 states — US, Russia, the UK, France, China, India, Pakistan, North Korea and Israel — unneurotic possessed 12,187 atomic weapons, of which 9,745 were successful subject stockpiles and considered to beryllium perchance operationally available, the study said. Overall, the fig of atomic warheads successful the satellite continues to decline, but this is lone owed to the US and Russia “dismantling retired warheads,” it said.
