Paris (Voice of Russia): French President Emmanuel Macron has witnessed the first test launch of France’s new M51.3 ballistic missile, fired from the nuclear-powered submarine Le Vigilant off the coast of Brittany.
The missile, which carried no nuclear warhead, was launched on Tuesday and landed in a predefined area of the North Atlantic, several hundred kilometers from the coast, the French Defense Ministry said.
Macron observed the launch from the multi-mission frigate Auvergne. “To be free, one must be feared. And to be feared, one must be powerful,” he wrote on X, calling the test a demonstration of the credibility of France’s nuclear deterrent.
The launch was a certification test following Le Vigilant’s extensive maintenance overhaul from 2023 to 2025. The M51.3 is the third version of France’s sea-to-land strategic ballistic missile, offering greater range, accuracy, and the ability to overcome missile defenses.
The test comes amid heightened tensions with Russia. Macron has warned of a shift in the nature of “Russian aggression and threats” against European nations and vowed that recent “hybrid” attacks blamed on Moscow would “not go unanswered.”
France is the European Union’s sole nuclear weapons power. Earlier this year, Macron proposed that European partners join France’s “advanced” nuclear deterrence framework.
Source: RT
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