Force de frappe: the nuclear deterrent force of the European Union

(To Tiziano Ciocchetti)
23/11/18

France has always shown a precise and coherent strategic line of action, in fact, despite reductions and cuts, the Paris nuclear deterrent is today the only one (after Brexit) that the Old Continent has.

Despite the reappearance on the world stage of Russia, the main risk for Europe remains proliferation. More generally, those actors endowed with WMD (Weapon of Mass Destruction) that could jeopardize the security of the French nation and the continent. It is not a matter of Gaullist reminiscences of independence - the nuclear weapon as the ultimate guarantee of the survival of that weak person who, faced with the threat of the strong and not believing his ally's extended dissuasion to be sufficiently credible, relies on a nuclear instrument made in case - but something different. That is a nuclear tool rethought to dissuade those who want to question, not so much the survival of France, but rather a vital interest: be it the security of overseas territory or the desire not to submit to any type or form of blackmail .

In practice this means that only a more flexible nuclear deterrent than in the past could guarantee security in the face of proliferation and the possible use of WMD by not very reliable states. So it would not just be to dissuade a possible madman, threatening a disproportionate destruction - with respect to the stakes - through retaliation, but also to clarify the mail itself with a possible limited strike. A final warning (tactical strike on military targets) to demonstrate to the opponent the determination of France and, beyond which, would remain only the massive retaliation.

Unlike Great Britain, whose nuclear deterrent is based exclusively on the underwater component, France has maintained a strategic aerial component. In fact, this guarantees the flexibility necessary to meet the requirements emerging from current crisis scenarios. To date, this component is based on the Rafale M bomber, armed with the nuclear missile stand-off ASMP-A.

The ASMP-A (Air-Sol-Moyenne-Portée) missile is the only nuclear weapon system that can be used by transalpine airplanes. The missile has a maximum range of about 500 km and is equipped with a TN81 tactical nuclear warhead (but it can also carry a conventional warhead), the missile's cruise phase is propelled by a prolonged combustion (liquid) state while the initial thrust is ensured by a solid propellant booster.

The Strategic Ocean Force - the second strike guarantee and therefore the very heart of the French deterrent - is currently based on 4 nuclear submarines ballistic missile launchers (SSBN) class Le Triomphant, which can boast a greater displacement in immersion (from 9.000 tons to over 14.000 tons), a greater silence, given the care that has been dedicated to the minimization of sound sources (starting from that coming from the propulsion apparatus) and the hydrodynamics of the hull, an advanced sensor, but above all, a SLBM (Submarine- Launched Ballistic Missile) advanced, the M-51.

The M-51 is a solid propellant tri-stage missile that uses an inertial guidance system: it has a weight of 50 tons, a length of over 12 meters and a range that oscillates between 6.000 and 8.000 km (depending on of the payload).

With the end of the Cold War, at the retirement of nuclear capabilities, France preferred to choose the path of modernization, allowing the European Union to be able to deploy a credible nuclear deterrent.

(photo: MBDA)