France has taken a significant step in affirming its nuclear deterrence capabilities with the successful test firing of an upgraded air-launched nuclear missile. This pivotal operation, carried out on May 22, involved the ASMPA-R missile, which was launched by a Rafale fighter jet over national territory in a prearranged simulation of a nuclear air raid. Notably, the missile was fired without a warhead.
French Defense Minister Sebastien Lecornu announced the successful test, emphasizing its alignment with the long-term goals outlined in France’s military programming law. Lecornu’s statement said the French drill aimed to uphold “the credibility of the airborne nuclear element of deterrence” alongside France’s submarine-launched weapons.
The timing of the French test is noteworthy, as it occurred just one day after Russia initiated its own nuclear drills within its Southern Military District, an area bordering Ukraine and encompassing regions Moscow has annexed. The drills are designed to test “the readiness of personnel and equipment of non-strategic nuclear weapons combat units to respond and to unconditionally ensure the territorial integrity and sovereignty of the Russian state,” Russia’s defense ministry said in a statement. The drills include practicing the loading of nuclear weapons onto aircraft and missile systems, simulating potential battlefield deployments.
The ASMPA-R missile that was test-fired is what France calls the renovated variant of the ASMPA or the Air-Sol Medium Range (ASMP/ASMP-A), an air-launched land-attack cruise missile equipped with a nuclear payload. The missile is central to the overall French nuclear deterrence.
France Although has withheld all information about the ASMPA-R variant, we do know that these missiles have an extended range over their predecessors and a more powerful thermonuclear warhead. These missiles are known as “pre-strategic” weapons in French nuclear strategy. They are the last-ditch “warning shot” before a full-scale deployment of strategic nuclear weapons fired from ballistic missile submarines.
The test comes amid a bullish stance adopted by French President Emmanuel Macron’s administration towards nuclear weapons and overall European security. France plans to allocate about 13% of its future military budget to develop independent nuclear capabilities. That will include upgrading to next-generation air-launched weapons.
Relevant articles:
– France tests air-launched nuclear missile , Daily Tribune (Philippines), 05/24/2024
– France Tests Updated Air-Launched Nuclear Missile, The Defense Post, 05/23/2024
– French Rafale Fires Air-Launched Nuclear Missile Sans Payload While Russia Flexes Its ‘Nuke Muscle’, EurAsian Times, 05/23/2024
– Ukraine war briefing: France flies nuclear-capable missile as Russia holds drills, The Guardian, 05/23/2024
– fires nuclear missile a day after Russia conducts tactical nuclear drills, MyIndMakers, 05/23/2024
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