File:US and USSR nuclear stockpiles.svg
Summary
Nuclear warhead stockpiles of the United States and the Soviet Union/Russia, 1945-2014. These numbers are total stockpiles, including warheads that are not actively deployed (that is, including those on reserve status, but not those that are scheduled for dismantlement). The numbers of active/operational warheads could be much smaller: in 2014, about 1,980 for the United States are deployed. Inadequate historical data prohibits long-term distinction between the two, hence lumping all numbers together.
The high for the USA is 32,040 in 1967; the high for the USSR is 45,000 in 1986; the point at which the USSR surpassed the USA in warheads is 1978. Note that raw stockpile totals do not necessarily tell you much about nuclear capabilities; delivery mechanisms and types of weapons can make a big difference (many of the weapons added to the stockpile during the "surge" periods were tactical, not strategic, for example)
The goal of this graph is to give a quick, at-a-glance impression of relative stockpile levels between the two countries; those looking for specifics should consult the raw data (compiled on <a href="//commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File_talk:US_and_USSR_nuclear_stockpiles.svg" title="File talk:US and USSR nuclear stockpiles.svg">the discussion page of this image</a>).
Licensing
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File history
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| Date/Time | Thumbnail | Dimensions | User | Comment | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| current | 23:19, 3 January 2017 | | 555 × 405 (72 KB) | 127.0.0.1 (talk) | Nuclear warhead stockpiles of the United States and the Soviet Union/Russia, 1945-2014. These numbers are total stockpiles, including warheads that are not actively deployed (that is, including those on reserve status, but not those that are scheduled for dismantlement). The numbers of active/operational warheads could be much smaller: in 2014, about 1,980 for the United States are deployed. Inadequate historical data prohibits long-term distinction between the two, hence lumping all numbers together. <p>The high for the USA is 32,040 in 1967; the high for the USSR is 45,000 in 1986; the point at which the USSR surpassed the USA in warheads is 1978. Note that raw stockpile totals do not necessarily tell you much about nuclear capabilities; delivery mechanisms and types of weapons can make a big difference (many of the weapons added to the stockpile during the "surge" periods were tactical, not strategic, for example) </p> The goal of this graph is to give a quick, at-a-glance impression of relative stockpile levels between the two countries; those looking for specifics should consult the raw data (compiled on <a href="//commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File_talk:US_and_USSR_nuclear_stockpiles.svg" title="File talk:US and USSR nuclear stockpiles.svg">the discussion page of this image</a>). |
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File usage
The following 19 pages link to this file:
- Anti-nuclear movement
- Anti-nuclear movement in the United States
- Carl Sagan
- Civil defense
- Cold War
- Disarmament
- Historical nuclear weapons stockpiles and nuclear tests by country
- List of states with nuclear weapons
- Nuclear arms race
- Nuclear disarmament
- Nuclear holocaust
- Nuclear power
- Nuclear warfare
- Nuclear weapon
- Nuclear weapons and the United States
- Nuclear weapons debate
- Nuclear winter
- Uranium
- Portal:Uttar Pradesh/Anniversaries/November
