The French army tested a new nuclear air-to-ground missile

This is a first for the French armed forces. A new missile, devoid of a military charge but supposed to be able to carry a nuclear charge, was fired by a Rafale of the strategic air forces (FAS) on Wednesday May 22 during an exercise. This test was led “above the national territory”, “at the end of a flight representative of a nuclear raid”detailed the Minister of the Armed Forces, Sébastien Lecornu, in a press release.

On the social network “long planned”. According to the press release, the renovation program for this missile, led by the General Directorate of Armaments (DGA), made it possible to strengthen and maintain “the credibility of the airborne nuclear component of deterrence” French, in accordance with the objectives of the latest military programming law (LPM).

This law effectively protected nuclear deterrence as a keystone of French defense, by allocating 13% of military credits over the period 2024-2030 to its modernization and sustainability. The French armies must have a 4th generation nuclear air-to-ground missile by 2035.