United Kingdom nuclear weapons

United Kingdom nuclear weapons evolved from close cooperation with the United States in the Second World War Manhattan Project, but Britain detonated its first fission device in October 1952, and has maintained an independent capability. At the present time, all of its nuclear weapons are in the form of UK-built warhead for submarine-launched ballistic missiles.

The US-UK relationship in nuclear weapons is unique. During a good deal of the Cold War, U.S. strategic bombers and intermediate range ballistic missiles were based in the UK, and British forces had both UK and US tactical nuclear weapons, the latter under dual-key arrangements.