Indian nuclear forces, 2012 Kristensen, Hans M.; Norris, Robert S.
Bulletin of the atomic scientists,
20/7/1/, Volume:
68, Issue:
4
Journal Article
Peer reviewed
In April 2012, India successfully test-launched the Agni V ballistic missile-and though the missile needs more testing and is still several years away from operational deployment, the Agni V ...introduces a new dynamic to the already complex triangular security relationship among India, Pakistan, and China. India is estimated to have produced approximately 520 kilograms of weapons-grade plutonium, sufficient for 100-130 nuclear warheads; however, not all of the material has been converted into warheads. Based on available information about its nuclear-capable delivery vehicles, the authors estimate that India has produced 80-100 nuclear warheads. In this article, the authors explore how the country will need even more warheads to arm the new missiles it is currently developing.
...the initial B-21 aircraft can be augmented more easily as advanced technologies are developed," he said in a recent report titled, "Air Force B-21 Long-Range Strike Bomber." "When the authorities ...are given to a small core of people in the Rapid Capabilities Office ... they go fast and deliver," he said at an Air Force Association breakfast in Washington, D.C. Pentagon officials have said relatively mature technologies would be used during the B-21's development phase, and they expect the aircraft to achieve initial operating capability in the mid-2020s. To ensure the aircraft's ability to penetrate enemy defenses, the Air Force has tapped manufacturer Northrop Grumman to modernize its electronic warfare capability, known as the defensive management system. The Defense Department estimated that current nuclear modernization plans - which include a new ground-based intercontinental ballistic missile system, a new class of ballistic missile submarines and other technologies - would cost $350 billion to $450 billion.
"Recapitalizing our ballistic missile submarines is a significant investment and something that happens every other generation, making it critically important that we do it right," he said during a ...May hearing before the House Armed Services Committee's subcommittee on strategic forces. According to a Congressional Budget Office report, the lead submarine will cost an estimated $12.2 billion in 2016 dollars, and subsequent boats will cost an average of $5.9 billion. Bryan Clark, a naval analyst at the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments, a Washington, D.C.-based think tank, said one of the reasons for the boat's delay is because of the new electric propulsion system. "The CMC will allow the life-extended Trident II D5 missile to be deployed on the Columbia and the U.K. Dreadnoughtclass" subs. Because of this partnership, it is critical that the Columbia-class' development proceed without schedule slippage, he said.
The Air Force this fall will select two prime contractors to begin work on an 18-year-long development program to replace the Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile - one of the three legs ...of the nuclear triad. The ground-based strategic deterrent's "estimated schedule is based on market research, input from subject matter experts, and evaluation of previous, related development efforts," she said in an email. Because the system will be expected to last 60 years, the program will call for open architectures so new technologies can be swapped in as needed. General Dynamics for command-and-control systems; Draper Laboratory for missile guidance and navigation; Bechtel for the large-scale infrastructure and launch facility modernization; Moog Inc. for thrust control; and two rocket engine companies - Aerojet Rocketdyne and Orbital ATK.
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