Sagar Kulkarni Washington

India'snuclear arsenal is estimated at 190 warheads, which includes 30 additional warheads for new missiles under production, according to a US nonprofit policy think tank.

The Federation of American Scientists (FAS) derived the estimates from analyses of a combination of open sources, state-originating data and commercial satellite imagery.

“Based on available public information about its nuclear-capable delivery force structure and strategy, we estimate that India may have produced around 190 nuclear warheads,” according to the article titled 'India's Nuclear Weapons – 2026' penned by FAS Nuclear Information Project Director Hans Kristensen.

India's nuclear arsenal includes over 160 warheads for operational launchers as well as additional warheads for new missiles in production, it said. The article noted that India continued to modernise its nuclear arsenal, with several new weapon systems fielded in recent years and several more under development to complement or replace existing nuclear-capable aircraft, land-based delivery systems, and sea-based systems.

"We estimate that India may have produced enough military plutonium for 140 to 225 nuclear warheads and might have assembled up to 190. With more weapon systems in development, the country's warhead stockpile will likely increase further,” it said. India adopted the no-first-use doctrine after the Pokhran-II nuclear tests in 1998 and continues to adhere to the policy. “India is committed to maintaining credible minimum deterrence and a posture of ‘no first use’ of nuclear weapons,” the government told Parliament recently.