5. United Kingdom
The United Kingdom has 215 nuclear warheads. The U.K developed its first nuclear weapon in 1952. It collaborated with the U.S. and Canada in the Manhattan Project but went ahead to develop its own method of manufacturing and bomb detonation. The United Kingdom became the third country in the world to develop and test nuclear weapons following the U.S and the Soviet Union.
It also moved to develop nuclear weapons as a deterrent to the Soviet Union and to maintain its status in power after the collapse of its empire after the end of the second world war. In 1957, the United Kingdom tested its first hydrogen bomb. Of the 215 strategic warheads that the United Kingdom has, 120 are deployed while 95 are in storage.
After the Cold War, the U.K maintained a fleet of four vanguard-class ballistic missile submarines which were equipped with Trident II missiles. These form the United Kingdom’s exclusive nuclear sea-based deterrent. The UK house of commons voted to renew the British nuclear weapons system in 2016.
