Pakistani Nuclear Forces

Pakistan tested its first nuclear weapon in 1998, becoming the world’s 7th state to officially test a nuclear weapon. The exact yields of the weapons in the country’s current arsenal are not known, but general estimates are between 5-12 kilotons (kt) for most weapons, with some longer-range ballistic missiles possibly reaching 40 kt.

Pakistan is believed to have a stockpile of approximately 160 warheads, making it the 6th largest nuclear arsenal. Pakistan is actively developing nuclear weapons, and experts project that it may have the 5th largest arsenal by 2025 with 220-250 warheads.

Aircraft

Name Number of launchers Range (KM) Warhead x yield (kilotons)
F-16A/B ~24 1,600 1 × bomb
Mirage III/V ~12 2,100 1 × bomb

Land-based Missiles

Name Number of launchers Range (KM) Warhead x yield (kilotons)
Abdali (Hatf-2) 10 200 1 x 5-12
Ghaznavi (Hatf-3) ~16 300 1 x 5-12
Shaheen-1 (Hatf-4) ~16 750 1 x 5-12
Shaheen-1A (Hatf-4) - 900 1 x 5-12
Shaheen-2 (Hatf-6) ~12 1,500 1 × 10-40
Shaheen-3 (Hatf-6) - 2,750 1 × 10-40
Ghauri (Hatf-5) ~24 1,250 1 × 10-40
NASR (Hatf-9) ~24 1,250 1 x 5-12
Ababeel (Hatf-?) - 2,200 MIRV or MRV

Ground and air-launched cruise missiles

Name Number of launchers Range (KM) Warhead x yield (kilotons)
Babur GLCM (Hatf-7) ~12 350 1 x 5-12
Babur-2/1(B) GLCM (Hatf-?) - 700 1 x 5-12
Ra’ad ALCM (Hatf-8) - 350 1 x 5-12
Ra’ad-2 ALCM (Hatf-?) - >350 1 x 5-12

Sea-based cruise missiles

Name Number of launchers Range (KM) Warhead x yield (kilotons)
Babur-3 SLCM (Hatf-?) - 450 1 x 5-12
Source: Bulletin of Atomic Scientists and Federation of American Scientists