Nuclear weapons in Pelinai (Pacifica)
| Pelinai | |
|---|---|
| Nuclear program start date | March 1, 1968 |
| First nuclear weapon test | October 4, 2000 |
| First thermonuclear weapon test | February 8, 2002 |
| Last weapon test | May 27, 2010 |
| Largest yield test | 3.2 MtTNT (2008) |
| Total number of tests | 38 |
| Peak stockpile number | >12000 (2020) |
| Current total stockpile | >12000 (2020) |
| Current stockpile yield in megatonnesTNT | 1,800~2,300 Mt (2020 est.) |
| Current active arsenal | 2,000~3,000 (2020 est.) |
| Total active yield in megatonnesTNT | 800~900 Mt (2020 est.) |
| Maximum missile range |
|
The Kingdom of Pelinai is a recently emerged nuclear power and one of the most recent states to successfully construct and deploy a currently functional nuclear arsenal. It is known to possess a wide variety of tactical- and strategic-yield nuclear warheads in large quantities, as well as a nuclear triad delivery system complex capable of ensuring second strike capability. Pelinai has never used nuclear weapons of any type in a military conflict, but does not adhere to a no first use policy and explicitly reserves the right to utilize nuclear armaments and other weapons of mass destruction in cases of conventional military aggression against its territory or the first enemy usage of WMDs against its own forces.
The Pelinese state is believed to possess approximately 12,000 to 13,000 operable nuclear weapons, the majority of which are tactical-size warheads of 20Kt yield or lower. An estimated ~2,000 warheads of the Pelinese arsenal, primarily the strategic yield component, are in active service in various land- and submarine-launched ballistic missiles and in forward deployment magazines at airbases; the remainder are kept in reserve in order to provide a credible ability to wage protracted nuclear warfare.
Development history
First test
Current research
Current status
Delivery systems
The Pelinese Armed Forces possess a wide selection of delivery systems for nuclear weapons in order to provide deployment flexibility and ensure the resilience of a devastating nuclear second-strike capability. In addition to the traditional nuclear triad of heavy bombers, silo-based ballistic missiles, and submarine-launched ballistic missiles, Pelinai possesses extensive nuclear artillery in the form of nuclear shells and tactical ballistic missile systems, nuclear-capable cruise missiles compatible with deployment on naval surface combatants, and nuclear torpedos.
All major Pelinese tactical aircraft, including the Ae-15 Ayame and Hono Ayame, the Na-17 Marahu, and the To-13 Botan, are certified to deploy at least one form of aircraft-borne nuclear weapon system. Airborne nuclear weapon form factors used by the Royal Pelinese Air Force and Royal Pelinese Navy include gravity bombs, air-to-surface missiles, and air-launched cruise missiles: most missiles and bombs carried by multirole fighters and strike aircraft are estimated to possess a variable yield of up to 300~400Kt, while the Na-17 Marahu and other heavy strike aircraft are capable of carrying larger megatonne-yield unguided bombs.
Command and control
Deployment doctrine
Weapons production
The Kingdom of Pelinai is actively pursuing the production of nuclear warheads, as well as the technical improvement of its designs in areas such as device reliability, reductions in warhead mass, volume, and fissile material consumption per unit of weapon yield, and reductions in costs of production and maintenance.
Seven different laboratories and reactors in Pelinai are known to be closely associated with the production of weapons-grade fissile material and/or its forming into pits for nuclear weapons. In addition to dedicated reactors, much of the plutonium consumed by the Pelinese nuclear weapons program is extracted from the reprocessing of spent reactor fuel obtained from civilian nuclear power facilities located in Pelinai.
Research and development
Major weapons program sites
| Name | Location | Function | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Anatoliy Ogoniko Nuclear Laboratory | Yukisora | Research; warhead design | Active |
| Geran Mountain Storage Facility | Sevaria | Nuclear waste storage | Active |
| Kamenpol Machine Building Plant | Stelossia | Warhead technical components production | Active |
| Meiaka Weapons Testing Facility | Yukisora | Underground nuclear weapons testing | Inactive; maintained for possible reactivation |
| Namidahi State Nuclear Laboratory | Loshkaria | Research; warhead pit forming | Active |
| Nuclear Complex G71 | Stelossia | Warhead pit storage; fissile material storage | Active |
| Seiko State Nuclear Laboratory | Samara | Research; warhead design; warhead pit forming | Active |
| Shichihata Armaments Building Plant | Stelossia | Warhead assembly | Active |
| Site Hana | Sevaria | Fissile material production (plutonium); warhead pit forming | Active |
| Site Katarina | Loshkaria | Fissile material production (plutonium) | Active |
| Site Mari | Stelossia | Fissile material production (uranium-235, plutonium) | Active |
| Site Yuri | Yukisora | Fissile material production (plutonium) | Active |
International relations
The Kingdom of Pelinai is not a signatory of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons and has resisted calls from states and non-governmental organizations to commit to disarming its nuclear arsenal at any point.