France Test-fires M51 Nuclear Ballistic Missile

The French Directorate General of Armaments (DGA) successfully conducted a test firing of an M51 nuclear strategic ballistic missile without a warhead from the Landes site of DGA Missile Tests today.

Florence Parly, Minister of the Armed Forces, expresses her great satisfaction after the success, a DGA release said.

The missile was monitored throughout its flight phase by DGA Missile Tests. The fallout zone is located in the North Atlantic, several hundred kilometers from any coast.

“This test was carried out without a nuclear military charge and in strict compliance with France's international commitments. This shot, carried out as part of the M51 program, once again demonstrates the excellence of high technology that French industries are implementing in this field,” a DGA release translated from French said.

This armament program responds to the will of the President of the Republic, who has undertaken to maintain the operational credibility of the nuclear forces over time, at the level of strict sufficiency required by the international environment, the release added.

On June 12, 2020 the M51 strategic ballistic missile was test-fired from the nuclear missile launching submarine (SNLE)  Le Téméraire  from Audierne bay.