Regarding Nuclear Warheads, there are couple of points that need to be remembered when discussing them.
“Nuclear” is a big umbrella which covers a number of different technologies.
As the weapons go there are :
1. Atom Bomb (like the ones detonated in Japan)
2. Hydrogen Bomb.
An atomic bomb is a fission bomb. This is where uranium atoms are split. As a result you get a huge release of nuclear energy.
A hydrogen bomb explosion or thermonuclear explosion occurs when you fuse two hydrogen atoms and as a result you get much higher amounts of energy being released.
In order to detonate a thermonuclear bomb, large enough energy such that is released during a fission bomb is needed. So a hydrogen bomb is composed of an atom bomb that pushes hydrogen atoms together to fuse them. Hence releasing devastating amounts of thermonuclear energy.
Earlier bombs made by China , India, Pakistan, Israel and N Korea were all Atom bombs. Gradually one by one, they all managed to obtain the technology to detonate thermonuclear bombs.
The trick lies in the manufacturing expertise of a small enough bomb to fit in to a missile’s warhead to facilitate easy delivery.
As delivery systems go; the MIRV (multiple independently-targetable re entry vehicle) technology is the way to go to achieve best and most effective target acquisition. Apart from Russia, US, Britain and France , it is believed that China has acquired this technology too. India with Agni-VI is developing this technology too.
This is an expensive and controversial technology to develop as a whole.
Should we have it? Definitely!
How and without causing international uproar is the tricky part.
Trading MMU for nuclear tech access is one easy way to jump to the front of the queue.
