France test-fires new nuclear-capable missile

France on Tuesday test-fired for the first time its new M51.3 nuclear-capable ballistic missile from a nuclear-powered submarine, the defence ministry said. It was not carrying a warhead.

The missile, a variant of France’s M51 missile, was fired from the Le Vigilant submarine off Brittany and impacted “in the North Atlantic, hundreds of kilometres from any coastline,” it said.

President Emmanuel Macron witnessed the firing from a French warship, an official told AFP.

“The launch was conducted without a nuclear warhead and in strict compliance with France’s international commitments,” the defence ministry said.

The test “once again demonstrates the excellence of the high-tech solutions employed by French industry in the field of nuclear deterrence”, it added.

This test came against a backdrop of increased tensions in Europe with Macron warning of a shift in the nature of “Russian aggression and threats” against European nations following a series of “hybrid” attacks blamed on Moscow.

He vowed in mid-September that these actions would “not go unanswered”.

The French president also proposed this year that European partners join the “advanced” nuclear deterrence framework of France, the European Union’s sole nuclear weapons power.