Europeupdated 2h ago2 min read
France Conducts First M51.3 Missile Test From Le Vigilant, Macron Watches Off Finisterre
First test launch of M51.3 from submarine Le Vigilant off Brittany, witnessed by Macron. Missile carried no warhead; part of modernization of France's nuclear deterrent.
Macron watches M51.3
France carried out its first test launch of the M51.3 intercontinental ballistic missile from the nuclear-powered submarine Le Vigilant off the coast of Finisterre, in western France, and President Emmanuel Macron witnessed the launch aboard a frigate, according to the Élysée.
The French Ministry of Armed Forces said the missile was fired within the SMERTRIOS operation to verify the submersible's ability to deploy the M51 after maintenance and repairs, and the launch occurred without a nuclear payload.
Macron said, “This technical success is a new demonstration of the credibility of our deterrence, whose pérennité is assured,” after the test, and he added, “To be free, one must be feared. And to be feared, one must be powerful.”
The missile was tracked throughout its flight by the French Directorate General of Armament, including the test and measurement ship Monge, and the French Ministry of the Armed Forces said it ended up falling into the North Atlantic, several hundred kilometers from any coast.
Deterrence and European context
Macron told troops onboard a French Navy vessel from which he observed the launch that, “This is a very important moment for our strategic credibility,” and he said the event would be closely scrutinized by both allies and competitors alike. The French Ministry of the Armed Forces said the M51.3 test was carried out “in strict compliance with France's international commitments,” and it described the launch as reflecting the President of the Republic's commitment to maintaining operational credibility over the long term.
The test also came as Macron warned of a shift in “Russian aggression and threats” against European countries following a series of hybrid attacks blamed on Moscow, and he vowed in mid-September they would “not go unanswered.” The French president linked the launch to France's strategic autonomy, and he argued, “Our nuclear deterrence protects us and will continue to protect us,” while France remained the European Union's only nuclear-armed state.
What the test validated
The French Ministry of Armed Forces said the test verified Le Vigilant's ability to use the M51.3 after a period of maintenance and repairs, and it framed the launch as an acceptance test following the boat’s overhaul. Defense24 said France completed the test successfully and that the test warhead reached the designated area in the North Atlantic, while it described France as possessing four Le Triomphant-class strategic nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines, with one currently non-operational.
Defense News said the missile did not carry a nuclear warhead, and it reported that the M51.3 variant is estimated to have a range of more than 9,500 kilometers, with each of France’s four ballistic missile submarines able to carry 16 missiles. The French Ministry of Armed Forces said the M51.3 “ensures the long-term credibility of the ocean-based component in the face of evolving adversary missile defenses,” and it described the launch as the seventh time a variant of the M51 was fired from a French submarine, and the 13th launch overall.