VII. Pakistani nuclear forces

Chapter:

7. World nuclear forces

Source:

SIPRI Yearbook 2012

Author(s):

Shannon N. Kile, Phillip Schell, Hans M. Kristensen, Vitaly Fedchenko, Alexander Glaser, Zia Mian International Panel on Fissile Materials

Pakistan is estimated to possess 90–110 nuclear weapons that can be delivered by aircraft and missiles (see table 7.8). Pakistan’s current warhead designs are believed to use highly enriched uranium (HEU), but there is evidence that it is moving towards an arsenal based on plutonium. Warheads using plutonium could be lighter and more compact than those using HEU to achieve the same yield. Some experts have estimated that Pakistan’s nuclear stockpile could double within a decade based on increased military plutonium-production capabilities.¹