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France on Tuesday successfully test-fired its new M51.3 nuclear-capable ballistic missile for the first time from a nuclear-powered submarine.
President Emmanuel Macron said the launch demonstrated the credibility of the country’s nuclear deterrent.
The missile, a new variant of France’s M51 system, was launched without a nuclear warhead from the Le Vigilant submarine off Brittany, the Defense Ministry said.
It landed in the North Atlantic, hundreds of kilometers from any coastline.
Macron observed the launch from the French warship Auvergne and later posted video on U.S. social media platform X showing the missile rising into the sky.
“To be free, one must be feared. And to be feared, one must be powerful,” Macron wrote.
“This technical success further demonstrates the credibility of our nuclear deterrent, whose long-term viability is assured,” he added.
The Defense Ministry stressed that the missile was not carrying a nuclear warhead and that the test was conducted “in strict compliance with France’s international commitments.”
The ministry said the launch “once again demonstrates the excellence of the high-tech solutions employed by French industry in the field of nuclear deterrence.”
The test comes as Macron has warned of what he described as a shift toward Russian aggression and threats against European countries following a series of “hybrid” attacks blamed on Moscow.
In mid-September, Macron said such actions would “not go unanswered.”
The French president has also proposed this year that European partners join France’s “advanced” nuclear deterrence framework.
France is the European Union’s only nuclear weapons power.
“Our nuclear deterrent protects us and will continue to protect us,” Macron said.
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