List of nuclear weapons

List of Nuclear Weapons is a comprehensive catalog of the various types of nuclear weapons that have been developed and deployed by different countries around the world. Nuclear weapons are explosive devices that derive their destructive force from nuclear reactions, either fission or a combination of fission and fusion reactions.

History

The development of nuclear weapons began in the early 20th century, with the discovery of nuclear fission. The first nuclear weapon was developed during World War II by the United States in a project known as the Manhattan Project. Since then, several other countries have developed their own nuclear weapons, including the Soviet Union, United Kingdom, France, China, India, Pakistan, North Korea, and Israel.

Types of Nuclear Weapons

There are two basic types of nuclear weapons: fission bombs, also known as atomic bombs, and fusion bombs, also known as hydrogen bombs.

Fission Bombs

Fission bombs work by initiating a nuclear chain reaction in a mass of uranium-235 or plutonium-239. The most well-known examples of fission bombs are the Little Boy bomb dropped on Hiroshima and the Fat Man bomb dropped on Nagasaki.

Fusion Bombs

Fusion bombs, also known as hydrogen bombs, use a fission bomb to create the high temperatures and pressures necessary to initiate a fusion reaction. The most well-known example of a fusion bomb is the Tsar Bomba, which was detonated by the Soviet Union in 1961 and is the most powerful explosive ever detonated.

List of Countries with Nuclear Weapons

As of 2021, nine countries are known to possess nuclear weapons. These are:

• United States
• Russia
• United Kingdom
• France
• China
• India
• Pakistan
• North Korea
• Israel

Each of these countries has a different number of nuclear weapons, with the United States and Russia possessing the most.

See Also

• Nuclear proliferation
• Nuclear disarmament
• Nuclear warfare
• Nuclear weapon design

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List of nuclear weapons gallery

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  B-83 nuclear weapon

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  Nuclear depth charge explodes near USS Agerholm (DD-826) on 11 May 1962