Nuclear Weapons Database
Historical Educational Data
This database contains historical information about nuclear weapons for educational purposes only. Data is compiled from declassified sources and public research.
Nuclear Powers Timeline
šŗšø United States
First test: July 16, 1945 (Trinity)
Peak arsenal: ~31,000 (1967)
Current: ~5,550
š·šŗ Russia (USSR)
First test: August 29, 1949
Peak arsenal: ~40,000 (1986)
Current: ~6,000
š¬š§ United Kingdom
First test: October 3, 1952
Peak arsenal: ~520 (1970s)
Current: ~225
š«š· France
First test: February 13, 1960
Peak arsenal: ~540 (1990s)
Current: ~290
šØš³ China
First test: October 16, 1964
Estimated current: ~350
Rapidly expanding
š®š³ India
First test: May 18, 1974
Estimated current: ~160
Growing arsenal
šµš° Pakistan
First test: May 28, 1998
Estimated current: ~165
Fastest growing arsenal
š°šµ North Korea
First test: October 9, 2006
Estimated current: ~30-50
Unverified capabilities
š®š± Israel
Undeclared program
Estimated: 80-400
Neither confirms nor denies
Historical Weapons by Era
First Generation Nuclear Weapons (1945-1955)
| Weapon | Country | Year | Yield | Type | Historical Use |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Little Boy | šŗšø United States | 1945 | 15 kt | Gun-type uranium | Hiroshima, August 6, 1945 |
| Fat Man | šŗšø United States | 1945 | 21 kt | Implosion plutonium | Nagasaki, August 9, 1945 |
| Trinity Test | šŗšø United States | 1945 | 22 kt | Implosion plutonium | First nuclear test, New Mexico |
| Mark 1 (Little Boy type) | šŗšø United States | 1947 | 15 kt | Gun-type uranium | Stockpile weapon (never used) |
| RDS-1 "First Lightning" | š·šŗ Soviet Union | 1949 | 22 kt | Implosion plutonium | Soviet first nuclear test |
Thermonuclear Era (1950s-1960s)
| Weapon | Country | Year | Yield | Type | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ivy Mike | šŗšø United States | 1952 | 10.4 Mt | H-bomb test | First thermonuclear device |
| Castle Bravo | šŗšø United States | 1954 | 15 Mt | H-bomb test | Largest US nuclear test |
| RDS-37 | š·šŗ Soviet Union | 1955 | 1.6 Mt | H-bomb test | First Soviet thermonuclear |
| Tsar Bomba | š·šŗ Soviet Union | 1961 | 50 Mt | H-bomb test | Largest nuclear weapon ever tested |
| W53 Warhead | šŗšø United States | 1962 | 9 Mt | ICBM warhead | Titan I missile warhead |
Modern Era (1970s-Present)
| Weapon | Country | Year | Yield | Delivery | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W76 | šŗšø United States | 1978 | 100 kt | SLBM (Trident) | Active |
| W87 | šŗšø United States | 1986 | 300 kt | ICBM (Minuteman III) | Active |
| B61 (Mod 12) | šŗšø United States | 2020 | 0.3-50 kt | Gravity bomb | Modern variable yield |
| R-36M2 "Satan" | š·šŗ Russia | 1988 | 20 Mt | ICBM | Being replaced |
| RS-28 "Sarmat" | š·šŗ Russia | 2022 | 10+ Mt | Heavy ICBM | New deployment |
Yield Comparison Scale
1 kiloton (kt) = 1,000 tons of TNT equivalent
1 megaton (Mt) = 1,000,000 tons of TNT equivalent
Data Sources & Methodology
This database is compiled from publicly available, declassified sources:
- Federation of American Scientists (FAS) Nuclear Notebook
- Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI)
- Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) Nuclear Database
- Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists
- Declassified U.S. Department of Energy documents
- International nuclear test monitoring organizations
- Peer-reviewed academic research on nuclear weapons
Note: Yield estimates for classified weapons may vary between sources. This data represents best available unclassified estimates for educational purposes.