A small number of these warheads may be loaded onto a submarine conducting deterrence patrols, the institute says
India has deployed nuclear warheads for the first time, according to a report by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), indicating a shift in New Delhi’s military posture.
In its annual report, SIPRI Yearbook 2026, the think tank reported that India is estimated to have a growing stockpile of “about 190 nuclear weapons as of January 2026,” up from 180 last year.
The report suggested the development is a shift from the long-held assumption that India stores its nuclear warheads separate from its deployed launchers during peacetime.
SIPRI noted that these weapons were assigned to a maturing nuclear triad of aircraft, land-based missiles and nuclear-powered submarines (SSBNs).
The South Asian nation placing missiles in canisters and conducting sea-based deterrence patrols “suggest that India could be shifting in the direction of mating some of its warheads with their launchers in peacetime,” it said.
SIPRI also noted that more warheads are thought to be in production for additional missiles. As of January, India may have started to deploy a small number of nuclear warheads on a single Ship, Submersible, Ballistic, Nuclear (SSBN) platform, according to SIPRI’s assessment.
It added that New Delhi is also developing hypersonic cruise missiles (HCMs).
The SIPRI report said rival Pakistan’s nuclear warhead stockpile has remained stable at nearly 170 warheads as of January.
India’s nuclear planning has put a greater emphasis on investing more resources in longer-range weapon systems that appear to be focused on China, although New Delhi’s planning remains heavily influenced by its long-standing rivalry with Islamabad, it said.
China had 620 nuclear warheads as of January, 34 of which were in deployed state.
In May 2025, India and Pakistan were engaged in a brief military clash following a terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir that left 26 dead.
New Delhi has blamed Islamabad for backing insurgent groups carrying out terror attacks. Pakistan has denied the accusation.
