At a glance: World's top ten nations having nuclear missiles

New Delhi: Since the US exploded two atomic bombs on Japan in 1945, there has been a consistent rise in the number of nuclear weapons and missiles, considered as weapons of mass destruction.The race for arms among the top 10 military powers of the world has been hot since the past 60 - 70 years.Here is the list of top ten nations which have developed large arsenals of nuclear weapons: RussiaRussia tested its first nuclear weapon in 1949's “RDS-1,” as it attempted to balance out the West's advantage during the Cold War. It tested its first hydrogen bomb in 1957's “RDS-37.” It also had the most powerful bomb ever exploded in Tsar Bomba.Before the Soviet Union collapsed, its arsenal included 45,000 nuclear warheads.Russia has trimmed it down to 8,500, though only 1,740 are active. United StatesThe United States was the first country to develop nuclear missiles. It happened during World War II when it collaborated with the United Kingdom and Canada in the Manhattan Project as it raced against Nazi Germany to be the first to have the bomb.It tested its first nuclear weapon in 1945 in what it dubbed as “Trinity.” It then used the weapon twice against Japan.In 1952, it tested the hydrogen bomb in “Ivy Mike,” before following it up with a deployable weapon in 1954's “Castle Bravo.” It is a signatory to the NPT. It has the most number of active nuclear weapons at 2,150. United KingdomHurricane was first tested by the UK in 1952. A lot of its resources and data was taken from the Manhattan Project, that was done in collaboration with the United States.The UK's main aim was that its project act as a deterrent to Russia. It did not want to rely completely on the US for help, and wanted to be an independent nuclear power itself. FranceFrance had its first nuclear weapon test in 1960 in an operation dubbed as “Gerboise Bleue.” It used its own research and they ramped up its development after the Suez Crisis in the late 50′s. It was also meant to maintain its status as a great power, like the United Kingdom. In 1968, it tested its first hydrogen bomb in what it calls “Operation Canopus.” It voluntarily disarmed 175 weapons after the Cold War, though 290 are still active. ChinaChina was wary of both the US and Russia. 596 was first tested in 1964. It was meant as a deterrent to both the United States and Soviet Union. It then tested a hydrogen bomb in “Test No. 6” in 1967.It is a signatory of the NPT, though it never ratified it.The country, however, has a strict “no first-use” policy, meaning it provides an unqualified negative security assurance that it would only use the weapon when an enemy strikes them with the bomb first. IndiaIt conducted its first nuclear test code in 1974. test code named “Smiling Buddha,” the first one conducted after the NPT came into force in 1970. India has rejected calls for its nuclear disarmament, insisting that everyone should also do so. It rejected the NPT because of the discrimination that comes with it in which the world would be divided into nuclear “haves” and “have-nots.”In the late 80′s, it weaponized 24 nuclear arms for delivery by air. In 1998, it tested some of its weaponized warheads in what it dubbed as Operation Shakti. It came in the same year that its archrival, Pakistan, tested its first nuclear weapon. IsraelIsrael probably got a nuclear weapon way back in 1967. The weapon assembled was probably crude and never got tested.However, in 1979, Israel was believed to have conducted a test in the Indian Ocean in cooperation with South Africa.Mordechai Vanunu, a technician who had photographs and detailed technical information on how to separate lithium-6, confirmed the advanced state of the Israeli nuclear weapon program in 1986.Separating lithium-6 is a key step for the production of tritrium, which is essential in developing fusion-boosted fission bombs. PakistanNot wanting to be left behind by India, Pakistan started its own nuclear program, which is believed to have been helped by China. But it was only in 1998 that Pakistan tested Chagai, and is believed to be a nation in hot pursuit of increasing its stockpile. North KoreaNorth Korea has always been belligerent and regularly uses its weapons as bargaining chips whenever they want something from other countries.It was actually a signatory of the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, or NPT, but they withdrew in 2003 after the United States cut off energy assistance because of North Korea'ssuspected uranium enrichment program. It conducted its first test in 2006. While the Americans confirmed this, it is believed that it was not a complete success. OthersGermany/Belgium/Canada/Greece/Italy/Netherlands/Turkey: These are NATO countries, and as a result of the NATO nuclear weapons sharing program, these nations have deployed and stored nuclear weapons that have been provided by the United States.