Pakistan is believed to have between 24 and 48 nuclear weapons with enough fissile material for 30-52 more.

Pakistan's nuclear program was born out of longstanding hostility with neighboring India. Pakistan conducted its first nuclear tests just after the Indian tests in May 1998 and has been playing catch-up to match the Indian arsenal. Little solid information is available regarding the Pakistani arsenal, but it is widely estimated to consist of 24 to 48 nuclear weapons. The nuclear program uses highly-enriched uranium, but Pakistan is developing facilities to produce plutonium.

The aircraft Pakistan would likely use to deliver nuclear weapons is the F-16. Pakistan has about 32 U.S. built F-16s, which were delivered in the 1980s to support Pakistan efforts in the Soviet-Afghan war. Some reports claim the F-16 has been equipped to carry nuclear weapons since 1985. In an effort to deter Pakistan from developing nuclear bombs, the United States imposed sanctions in 1990 blocking further delivery of F-16s and other military assistance. President George W. Bush, seeking to gain Pakistan's assistance for the campaign in Afghanistan, waved these sanctions on Sept. 22, 2001, allowing the delivery of 28 new F-16s to Pakistan. These have yet to be delivered. Pakistan's F-16s have a range of over 1,600 kilometers and have probably been outfitted to carry nuclear weapons.

According to U.S. intelligence, Pakistan relies heavily on its ballistic nuclear missiles to counter India's conventional advantage. It has depended on North Korean and Chinese assistance to help develop its missiles but aims for more indigenous know-how. The Chinese aid stems from Beijing's interest in using Pakistan as a counter-weight to India . The best estimates indicate that today Pakistan has one type of missile, the Ghauri or Hatf, capable of delivering nuclear weapons. The Ghauri is a Pakistani name for the North Korean No-Dong, which is based on the Scud. The Ghauri is liquid fueled and has a range of 1,500 kilometers. A more advanced version (the Ghauri-2) may have a range exceeding 2,000 kilometers and third Ghauri with even greater range is being developed. Pakistan also has two reverse engineered versions of the Chinese M-9 (DF-15), the Shaheen-1 and Shaheen-2. According to Pakistan, these solid-fueled missiles have ranges of 750 and 2,500 kilometers, respectively. Both Shaheen missiles could have nuclear capacity.

Like India, Pakistan is generally believed to keep its nuclear missiles in components. That is, delivery vehicles are likely kept separate from warheads. However, the escalation of conflict along the line of control in Kashmir may have led Pakistan to assemble some of its nuclear weapons.

24-48

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24-48