Switzerland and weapons of mass destruction
| Swiss Confederation | |
|---|---|
| Nuclear program start date | 1945 (ended in 1988) |
| First nuclear weapon test | None |
| First thermonuclear weapon test | None |
| Last nuclear test | None |
| Largest yield test | None |
| Total tests | None |
| Peak stockpile | None |
| Current stockpile | None |
| Current strategic arsenal | None |
| Cumulative strategic arsenal in megatonnage | None |
| Maximum missile range | None |
| NPT party | Yes |
| Weapons of mass destruction |
|---|
| By type |
| By country |
|
| Non-state |
| Biological weapons by country |
| Chemical weapons by country |
| Nuclear weapons by country |
| Proliferation |
| Treaties |
|
Switzerland made detailed plans to acquire and test nuclear weapons during the Cold War. Less than two weeks after the nuclear bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the Swiss government started studying the possibility of building nuclear weapons, and continued its military nuclear program for 43 years until 1988. However, it ratified the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons in 1977.
Switzerland operated the DIORIT heavy water reactor from 1960 and the Lucens heavy water reactor from 1966, and carried out nuclear reprocessing, producing small quantities of plutonium, although it was not weapons-grade.
The Swiss Dassault Mirage IIIS interceptor was envisioned as a nuclear weapons delivery system capable of reaching Moscow, to deter the Soviet Union. Switzerland also considered the possibility of defensive nuclear attacks on Swiss territory.
Switzerland never possessed biological weapons, but did have a program to develop and test chemical weapons.