The single most powerful nuclear device ever created and tested, the Tsar Bomba, was developed by the Soviet Union (which Russia is the successor state to). It was detonated on October 30, 1961, over the Novaya Zemlya archipelago in the Arctic Circle.
The Tsar Bomba (code name: Ivan or Vanya, internal designation "AN602") was the most powerful nuclear weapon or weapon of any kind ever constructed and tested. A project of the Soviet Union, it was a thermonuclear aerial bomb, tested on 30 October 1961 at the Novaya Zemlya site in the country's far north.
Under the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), the United States, Russia, the United Kingdom, France, and China are recognized "nuclear-weapons states" (NWS). They are also the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council.
Russia and the United States together possess nearly 90% of the world's nuclear weapons, with Russia holding the largest total stockpile and the U.S. having a substantial number of deployed strategic warheads, making them the dominant nuclear powers by far, despite other nations like China, the UK, France, India, Pakistan, Israel, and North Korea also having nuclear arsenals.
As of 2025, the Federation of American Scientists estimates that Russia possesses 5,459 nuclear weapons, while the United States has 5,177; Russia and the U.S. each have about 1,700 active deployed strategic nuclear warheads.
Nuclear weapons are still here—and they're still an existential risk. Nine countries possess nuclear weapons: the United States, Russia, France, China, the United Kingdom, Pakistan, India, Israel, and North Korea. In total, the global nuclear stockpile is close to 13,000 weapons.
This is apparently a reference to capabilities that Russian missiles have but U.S. missiles do not—supersonic and hypersonic speed, very long range, dual capability, and, in many cases, antiship capability (until recently when the United States began to introduce longer-range antiship missiles).
The French justified their decision to provide Israel a nuclear reactor by claiming it was not without precedent. In September 1955 Canada publicly announced that it would help the Indian government build a heavy-water research reactor, the CIRUS reactor, for "peaceful purposes".
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-The concept undermined the A-10's role as a close air support aircraft, which is designed to fly low and provide tactical support, whereas nuclear weapons are strategic and require high-altitude delivery. -The weight of nuclear bombs, combined with the A-10's distinctive airframe, made the idea impractical.
As a non-nuclear-weapon state, Australia engages with other countries to advocate for disarmament and non-proliferation. Australia consistently promotes cooperation within the existing disarmament architecture based on the cornerstone Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT).
Russia has the most confirmed nuclear weapons, with over 5,500 nuclear warheads. The United States follows behind with 5,044 nuclear weapons, hosted in the US and 5 other nations: Turkey, Italy, Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands.
By far the largest nuclear electricity producers are the United States with 781,945 GWh of nuclear electricity in 2024, followed by China with 417,518 GWh.
If such a weapon exploded in a large American city such as New York, Chicago, San Francisco, or Washington, D.C., their metropolitan areas plus large portions of their surrounding suburbs would be completely destroyed and nearly devoid of all life.
Nuclear weapons are the elephant in the room when the deadliest weapons in history are being discussed. The proliferation of nuclear weapons has provided humankind with the ability to inflict upon itself the sort of extinction-level event that was previously achievable only by straying into the path of an asteroid.
Russia Hypersonic Missile technology
Russia maintains the world's largest nuclear arsenal and leads in hypersonic technology. The Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation confirms its Avangard glide vehicle can travel at Mach 27, making it virtually impossible for current defence systems to intercept.
France has the greatest share of nuclear power in total electricity generation worldwide.
Its motivations included: a distrust of technocracy; ecological, environmental and safety fears; suspicions that nuclear energy could engender nuclear proliferation; and general opposition to concentrated power (especially after its extreme consolidation under the Nazi dictatorship).
The current ICBM force consists of 400 Minuteman III missiles located at the 90th Missile Wing at F.E. Warren Air Force Base, Wyoming; the 341st Missile Wing at Malmstrom Air Force Base, Montana; and the 91st Missile Wing at Minot Air Force Base, North Dakota. Contractor: Boeing Co.
Israel's quality higher education and the establishment of a highly motivated and educated populace is largely responsible for ushering in the country's high technology boom and rapid economic development by regional standards.
It's widely believed that Israel's nuclear weapons program is housed in Dimona. Experts said it appeared that inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency had never been to the site, and that there was no agreement with Israel that would allow the U.N. watchdog agency to monitor it.
There were approximately 12,200 nuclear warheads worldwide as of January 2025, and almost 90 percent of them belong to two countries: Russia and the United States. Even though the number of nuclear weapons worldwide has been decreasing since the Cold War, still the same two countries possess the majority of them.
The United States currently has the most powerful military in the world, as per global rankings for 2025. This ranking is based on multiple factors including defense budget, technology, manpower, and global reach. Key features include: Largest defense budget globally.
Maintaining the option of launching weapons on warning of an attack leads to rushed decision making. It would take a land- based missile about 30 minutes to fly between Russia and the United States; a submarine-based missile could strike in as little as 10 to 15 minutes after launch.
Russia has only about 4,292 military aircraft compared with Nato's combined 22,377, and 419 military ships compared to Nato's 1,143. Russia is decisively outnumbered by Nato for tanks (5,750 to 11,495), and in terms of armoured vehicles overall its stock of 131,527 is dwarfed by Nato's 971,280.