Go to: India India First nuclear test: 1974 Most recent nuclear test: 1998 Total tests: 5 In 1966, India declared it could produce nuclear weapons within 18 months. Eight years later, India tested a device of up to 15 kilotons and called the test a "peaceful nuclear explosion." In May 1998, India stunned the world when it conducted five underground nuclear tests in Pokharan, Rajasthan, and declared itself a nuclear state.