China 's nuclear test of 1964 , as well as its repeated threats to intervene in support of Pakistan in the 1965 war , convinced India to develop nuclear weapons . India conducted its first nuclear weapons test in 1974 and carried out further underground testing in 1998 . Despite criticism and military sanctions , India has signed neither the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty nor the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty , considering both to be flawed and discriminatory . India maintains a " no first use " nuclear policy and is developing a nuclear triad capability as a part of its " Minimum Credible Deterrence " doctrine . It is developing a ballistic missile defence shield and , in collaboration with Russia , a fifth-generation fighter jet . Other indigenous military projects involve the design and implementation of '' Vikrant '' - class aircraft carriers and '' Arihant '' - class nuclear submarines
further underground testing
Pokhran-II
India