France Begins Production of M51.4 Nuclear Missile for Next-Generation Submarines

France began production of the M51.4 strategic nuclear ballistic missile, which will arm current Le Triomphant-class submarines as well as the third-generation SNLE-3G submarines in production.

On September 7, this was announced by Sébastien Lecornu, France's Minister of Defense and Prime Minister since September 9. The French Armaments Agency (DGA) officially granted the contract to ArianeGroup on August 28.

The M51.4 is engineered to have a larger range, more accurate, and enhanced countermeasures against current missile defense systems. It succeeds the M51.3, with over 9,000 kilometers of range and a capacity for six warheads. The program costs an estimated €7.5 billion.

Naval Group is constructing the SNLE-3G submarines that will ultimately launch the missile. There will be 16 launch pods for the missile per submarine, new sonar, and artificial intelligence data processing capabilities. The first ship should come into commission around 2035, with four intended to serve through the next century as part of France's policy of continuous patrols.

The DGA stressed that the M51 program is designed incrementally in order to respond to changing threats and to maintain French industrial capabilities in missile design and manufacture. France performs routine test firings without nuclear warheads to confirm the operational status of its oceanic deterrent.

The M51 missile family has been in operation since 2010 with the Strategic Oceanic Force (FOST). The existing versions, M51.1 and M51.2, will be followed by the M51.3 shortly, before the M51.4 appears in the next ten years.