French missile test underscores nuclear deterrence flexibility
France is the only NATO country using cruise missiles with nuclear warheads. Even though work is already underway on its hypersonic successor, Paris is not neglecting the modernization of its existing arsenal. To this end, it tested the latest variant of the ASMP missile: ASMPA-R, also known as ASMP-A rénové.
Unlike the United Kingdom and the United States, which currently have exclusively strategic nuclear weapons, France has maintained greater flexibility in the matter of nuclear strikes.
Two types of weapons enable this flexibility. MSBS M51 intercontinental missiles, carried by Le Triomphant-class submarines, are responsible for strategic deterrence. France also has air-launched cruise missiles at its disposal.
These can serve as strategic weapons, but French doctrine also envisions the possibility of a "de-escalatory" warning nuclear strike of relatively low yield. For this purpose, France introduced the ASMP missile into service in the 1980s and continues to operate, modernize, and develop its variants: ASMP-A and ASMPA-R.
ASMPA-R nuclear missile
These air-launched missiles are currently carried only by the multi-role Rafale aircraft. France currently operates the ASMP-A variant, which has a range of 500 kilometers and a speed of Mach 3. They carry the tête nucléaire aéroportée (TNA) nuclear warhead with a yield of 300 kilotons.
The availability of this weapon is one of the reasons why France can respond to Putin's nuclear blackmail, reminding him that Russia is not the only country with nuclear weapons.
The missiles are 5.4 meters long, have a diameter of 38 centimetres, and weigh 860 kilograms. In addition to their high flight speed, their key advantages include high maneuverability and a design incorporating stealth features to make them harder for opponents to detect and shorten the time they have to counteract.
The ASMPA-R (ASMP-A rénové) missile is the latest version of this weapon. Compared to its predecessor, it is expected to offer a greater range, and during the test conducted using a Rafale aircraft, a missile without a warhead was used. Plans call for this weapon to be in service until around 2035.
Work is already underway on its successor, the ASN4G air-launched missile, whose key benefit will be hypersonic flight speed. Plans envision that the ASN4G will achieve speeds of up to Mach 8 and offer a range exceeding 1,000 kilometres.
