Nuclear weapons are high explosives that use nuclear energy to wreak devastating destruction wherever they are dropped. And it is precisely this power that is brought to the fore in the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
They are generally intercontinental ballistic missiles, capable of traveling long distances to their target.
According to CNN En Español, there are currently 9 countries that have managed to detonate nuclear weapons, but only 5 of them are considered “Nuclearly Armed States”, according to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.
These are the 6 most powerful countries with nuclear weapons
United States
The United States was the country that developed the first atomic weapons during World War II in cooperation with the United Kingdom and Canada. And it is the only one that has used nuclear weapons against another country.
By 2012, they had some 2,150 active nuclear warheads, plus another 2,800 in reserve and some 3,000 in storage for decommissioning. In total: 8 thousand.
Russia
It is the largest nation inheriting the weapons and armies that belonged to the Soviet Union.
The Russian Federation regained control and possession of the entire arsenal of nuclear weapons, buying them or reaching agreements with the other nations of the dissolved Soviet Union.
It managed to reincorporate at least 99.92% of the stocks of nuclear warheads and launch vectors.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom tested its first nuclear weapon in 1952. Much of the data for its creation was obtained while collaborating with the United States on the Manhattan Project. He also dropped his first hydrogen bomb in 1957.
The United Kingdom took 31 nuclear weapons to the Falklands war, according to declassified documentation
Currently maintains the fleet trident of nuclear submarines equipped with 160 active nuclear warheads, making a total of 225.
France
France tested its first nuclear weapon in 1960. So did the UK, based on their own research and the experience of French scientists who had worked on the Manhattan Project.
The Charles de Gaulle it is currently the last nuclear-armed aircraft carrier deployed in a country. In 2008, President Nicolas Sarkozy announced that France had a total of 300 nuclear weapons.
China
China was the first Asian country to develop and test a nuclear weapon. He did it in 1964.
The weapon was developed as a deterrent against the United States and the Soviet Union.
In 1967 he tested his first hydrogen bomb in LopNor. It is estimated that in 2011 they had about 240 nuclear warheads, of which 178 were active.
North Korea
North Korea was a member of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, but announced its resignation on January 10, 2003.
In February 2005, they reported having functional nuclear weapons, although the lack of proof led many experts to question the claim.
From its production of fissile material, a maximum of 10 atomic warheads were estimated to be available. (I)
Find out how many nuclear weapons Russia currently has
Source: Eluniverso
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