History of Asia

When Did India get Nuclear weapons?

Assistant

May 18, 1974 is when India officially became a nuclear power.

Following the detonation of the first nuclear bomb by China in October 1964, India began a serious effort to develop its own nuclear weapons. Led by physicist Homi J. Bhabha and the Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, the research and development of India's nuclear weapons program was conducted at the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC).

On the 18th of May, 1974, India test detonated a nuclear device at Pokhram test range in the Rajasthan desert. The operation was codenamed "Smiling Buddha" or "Pokhran-I" The test was a 12-kiloton underground explosion and made India the sixth nuclear power in the world, behind the United states, the Soviet Union, United Kingdom, France, and China.

The test caused international consternation, and India faced economic sanctions from some countries as well as increased diplomatic isolation. India maintained that its nuclear program was for peaceful purposes and that it had the right to develop nuclear energy for its economic and technological advancement.

Over the years, India's nuclear weapons program has continued to develop and expand, and the country has conducted additional nuclear tests in 1998("Pokhran-II") and 2011 ("Shakti tests") to further develop and refine its nuclear capabilities.

India has a stated policy of "no-first-use" of nuclear weapons, meaning it pledges not to be the first to use nuclear weapons in a conflict, and it has emphasized the importance of nuclear disarmament and non- proliferation. However, the development of India's nuclear weapons has impacted regional dynamics and geopolitical balance, and it remains a significant topic in international discussions on nuclear security and disarmament.