France signals willingness to share nuclear capabilities in response to US's NATO policy
In a conversation between the French president and the Polish premier, France's readiness to share its nuclear capabilities with Europe was highlighted. This proposal is a response, among other things, to Donald Trump's remarks suggesting that the US would selectively defend only those NATO members that make contributions, a position that has outraged many European nations.
France's autonomous atomic potential
France is the sole European country with self-sufficient potential for the development of nuclear weapons, possessing a wide assortment of both strategic and tactical weapons. The only other European nation to have nuclear weapons is the United Kingdom, however, their abilities are substantially dependent on the United States, as demonstrated by their use of American Trident II D-5 intercontinental ballistic missiles.
For the meanwhile, France relies exclusively on its own solutions. Even during the height of the Cold War, France had a complete nuclear triad, consisting of weapons launched from land, sea, and air. However, after retiring land-based silos located on the Albion plateau and mobile land launchers in the late 90s, France currently only employs intercontinental ballistic missiles launched from submarines and tactical nuclear weapons via aviation.
The current holdings include four nuclear-powered Le Triomphant submarines (Le Triomphant, Le Téméraire, Le Vigilant, and Le Terrible) which were commissioned from 1997 to 2010. French policy ensures that at least two are always on combat patrol, ready to deploy any or all of their 16 M45 or M51 intercontinental ballistic missiles. These missiles have an assumed range of about 8000-10000 kilometres and can transport up to 10 TN 75 warheads with a yield of 150 kt.
This represents France's final line of defence, while the ASMP-A maneuvering missiles carried by Rafale aircraft provide a more flexible option. It should be noted that these are more threatening and easier to deploy than conventional B61 (B61-12) nuclear bombs housed in Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, Italy, and Turkey under the Nuclear Sharing programme, as reported by journalist Łukasz Michalik of Wirtualna Polska.
The ASMP-A missiles, employed in service in 2009, are a modified version of the ASMP (Air-Sol Moyenne Portée) used since 1986. The updated variant boasts an extended range of up to 500 kilometers compared to the earlier model's range of up to 300 kilometers. These missiles weigh roughly 860 kilograms and are 5.4 metres long. They have a unique propulsion system; rather than a typical solid rocket engine, they utilise a jet engine, akin to the newer MBDA Meteor missile.
A jet engine differs in that the rocket fuel structure does not provide the oxygen required for combustion but is drawn from the air. This leaves more space for fuel, therefore enhancing the range. The disadvantage, however, is the need to accelerate the missile to engage the jet engine, which is accomplished by a standard rocket engine jettisoned after achieving Mach 2 speed. The ASMP-A then accelerates to Mach 3 speed, considerably complicating the job of air defense systems attempting to intercept it.
Coupled with an advanced navigation system, this ensures pinpoint accuracy to within several or even several tens of meters, enabling precise delivery of the modifiable yield of the thermonuclear TN-81 warhead, ranging from 150-300 kt. It is worth noting, though, that the French are currently developing a new ASN4G missile (air-sol nucléaire de 4e génération) that will have hypersonic speed (Mach 6-8) and a range of approximately 1000 kilometers.
Particularly in the realm of tactical nuclear weapons, France has capabilities that other Western atomic powers lack.
