A year after Operation Sindoor, SIPRI’s latest assessment says India has expanded its nuclear arsenal to 190 warheads
June 9, 2026: A year after Operation Sindoor, global attention remains focused on India’s military capabilities. In its latest Yearbook 2026, the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) estimated that India possesses 190 nuclear warheads, compared to Pakistan’s 170. The report also noted that several Pakistani airbases and missile facilities targeted during Operation Sindoor were linked to the country’s nuclear infrastructure. Despite the military confrontation, SIPRI observed that neither side escalated the conflict into a nuclear crisis.
The report highlighted a significant development in India’s nuclear posture. For the first time, SIPRI classified 12 Indian nuclear warheads as operationally deployed during peacetime. India’s arsenal had been estimated at 180 warheads a year earlier. SIPRI said India has traditionally stored nuclear warheads separately from delivery systems, but recent moves such as missile canisterisation and sea-based deterrence patrols indicate a possible shift towards maintaining some warheads mated with launchers even during peacetime.
Operation Sindoor was launched on May 7 last year in response to the terror attack in Pahalgam on April 22. Indian armed forces carried out precision strikes against terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, leading to nearly 88 hours of military confrontation between the two countries. The hostilities ended on May 10 after Pakistan’s Director General of Military Operations contacted his Indian counterpart seeking a ceasefire understanding, according to the Indian Army.