What does a country need to develop nuclear weapons?

Once a country can enrich uranium, it can produce enough HEU for a nuclear weapon within months. The materials, technology, and expertise needed for enrichment can be used to both generate nuclear power and develop nuclear weapons.

What ingredients do you need to make an atomic bomb?

The raw material: uranium The key ingredient in a nuclear bomb is enriched uranium — or plutonium, which can be obtained through the combustion of uranium. Uranium is a relatively common mineral, found both in the ground and under the sea. Some 20 countries operate uranium mines.

Can any country build nukes?

There are many countries capable of producing nuclear weapons, or at least enriching uranium or manufacturing plutonium. Among the most notable are Canada, Germany, and Australia. Following the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action agreement some consider Iran a nuclear threshold state.

How are countries able to make nuclear weapons?

The materials, technology, and expertise needed for enrichment can be used to both generate nuclear power and develop nuclear weapons. Once a country is capable of enriching uranium for nuclear purposes, even peaceful ones, it usually can produce enough material for a nuclear weapon.

What do you need to make a nuclear bomb?

To make a bomb, natural uranium needs to be treated to concentrate the 235 isotope within it. And this is where the problems re ally begin. For every 25,000 tonnes of uranium ore, only 50 tonnes of metal are produced.

How much uranium does it take to make a nuclear bomb?

Just 0.710% is the uranium-235 needed, yet the simplest nuclear weapon requires about 50kg of 90% pure uranium-235. As most countries will want two or three for testing and redundancy, it requires around 150kg (330lbs) of uranium-235, or around 20 tonnes or so of yellow cake.