The French Armed Forces Minister, Sébastien Lecornu, announced yesterday, May 22, on Twitter, that a Rafale fighter jet successfully tested an updated ASMPA-R supersonic nuclear missile. The missile was fired without a warhead during the exercises, as part of Operation Durandal.
“This long-planned operation realizes the ambitions enshrined in the military programming law concerning our nuclear deterrent, demonstrating excellence and operational reliability. Congratulations to all the forces, ministry teams, and industrial partners involved in the operation,” Lecornu said.
Nuclear Missile Tests in Parallel
Interestingly, France tested its updated nuclear missile at a time when the first phase of tactical nuclear weapons exercises is underway in the Russian Federation. Recently, there has been discussion about what the Russian Federation presented (and did not present) in these exercises.
ASMPA-R Updates and Capabilities
Returning to the tests in France, the ASMPA-R represents a new update of the intermediate-range nuclear cruise missile ASMP, developed by MBDA France and introduced in March 1986. In 1997, development of the ASMP-A began, which entered service 12 years later, in 2009. This updated version of the missile received a new nuclear warhead and had its range increased from 300 km to 500 km.
Missile Specifications
Work on updating the ASMPA-R began in 2016, and it is known that this version also features a greater range. In the ASMP and ASMP-A versions, the missile has a mass of 860 kg, a length of 5.38 m, and a diameter of 380 mm, and can reach speeds of up to Mach 3.
Investments in Nuclear Capabilities
France plans to invest about 13% of its defense budget to improve the country’s nuclear capabilities in the coming years. Additionally, France is developing the next hypersonic nuclear missile, ASN4G (Air-Sol Nucléaire de 4ème Génération), which will have a range of over 1000 km.
Photos: Reproduction Twitter @Armee_de_lair. This content was created with the help of AI and reviewed by the editorial team.