United Kingdom and weapons of mass destruction

United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
Location of United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
Nuclear program start date10 April 1940
First nuclear weapon test3 October 1952
First thermonuclear weapon test15 May 1957
Last nuclear test26 November 1991
Largest yield testMt (13 PJ) (28 April 1958)
Total tests45 detonations
Peak stockpile520 warheads (1970s)
Current stockpile225[1][2][3] method of delivery (Trident II SLBM)[2]
Maximum missile range13,000 km (7,000 nmi or 8,100 mi) (UGM-133 Trident II)
NPT partyYes (1968, one of five recognised powers)

The United Kingdom possesses, or has possessed, a variety of weapons of mass destruction, including nuclear, biological, and chemical weapons. The United Kingdom is one of the five official nuclear weapon states under the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons. The UK renounced the use of chemical and biological weapons in 1956 and subsequently destroyed its general stocks.[4]

  1. ^ "The British Nuclear Stockpile, 1953-2013", Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, 1 July 2013
  2. ^ a b "Nuclear Weapons: Who Has What at a Glance". Arms Control Association. ACA. Retrieved 1 October 2016.
  3. ^ "Global nuclear weapons: downsizing but modernizing". SIPRI. Retrieved 1 October 2016.
  4. ^ "Britain to expand nuclear warhead stockpile by over 40% as global threats rise". Reuters. March 16, 2021 – via www.reuters.com.

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