Nuclear-armed states continue to modernize their arsenals, with France—a major U.S. military ally in NATO—recently test-firing an upgraded but unarmed nuclear missile.
The medium-range, air-to-surface missile, known as the ASMPA-R, will be equipped on Rafale fighter jets deployed on the aircraft carrier FS Charles de Gaulle, serving as the airborne component of the country’s nuclear deterrent, the French navy said on Thursday.
Why It Matters
France is one of nine countries—and one of three NATO member states, alongside the U.S. and the U.K.—armed with nuclear weapons, possessing approximately 290 warheads ready for delivery by ballistic missile submarines and fighter aircraft.
Earlier this year, French President Emmanuel Macron raised the prospect of extending France’s nuclear umbrella—a security guarantee to non-nuclear-armed states—to other European nations amid Russia’s threat and a possible U.S. retreat from the continent.
The French missile test launch comes after similar activities by the U.S. and Russia. A new American nuclear cruise missile appears to have been unveiled, while Russia tested a nuclear-powered cruise missile thought to be capable of carrying a nuclear warhead.
What To Know
Catherine Vautrin, France’s defense minister, said an
US’s NATO Ally Test-Fires Nuclear Missile
