PARIS / FINISTÈRE, France — The French Ministry of the Armed Forces (Ministère des Armées) and the French Navy (Marine Nationale) executed the first operational test launch of the upgraded M51.3 submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) from a submerged nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine (SSBN). Launched from the Triomphant-class SSBN “Le Vigilant” off the coast of Finistère (Brittany), the unarmed missile followed its planned trajectory over the North Atlantic Ocean before impacting safely several hundred kilometers from any coastline, monitored by the DGA Missile Testing center.
French President Emmanuel Macron witnessed the strategic validation launch directly from an escorting French Navy frigate. Designed and manufactured by ArianeGroup, the M51.3 variant features enhanced third-stage propulsion, upgraded guidance electronics, and advanced penetration aids tailored to defeat modern integrated air and missile defense systems. Serving as the sea-based leg of France’s oceanic strategic nuclear deterrent (Force Océanique Stratégique – FOST), the upgraded M51.3 SLBM configuration reinforces the operational survivability and strike accuracy of the French submarine fleet through the 2030s.
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS: ARIANEGROUP M51.3 STRATEGIC BALLISTIC MISSILE (SLBM)
* System Classification: Three-Stage Solid-Fuel Submarine-Launched Ballistic Missile (SLBM)
* Prime Contractor & Manufacturer: ArianeGroup / Direction Générale de l’Armement (DGA)
* Deployment Platform: Triomphant-class SSBNs (Le Triomphant, Le Téméraire, Le Vigilant, Le Terrible) & future SNLE 3G
* Missile Dimensions & Mass: Length: 12.0 meters | Diameter: 2.3 meters | Launch Mass: ~52,000 kg
* Flight & Propulsion Characteristics:
* Propulsion Type: Three solid-propellant rocket motor stages (ammonium perchlorate composite propellant)
* Operational Range: Estimated 8,000 to 10,000+ kilometers
* Terminal Speed: Mach 25+ (hypersonic atmospheric reentry profile)
* Ordnance & Payload Architecture:
* Reentry Vehicles: 6 to 10 Multiple Independently Targetable Reentry Vehicles (MIRVs)
* Warhead Integration: Tête Nucléaire Océanique (TNO) stealth thermonuclear warheads (100 kt yield range)
* Guidance, Avionics & Survivability:
* Guidance Package: Astro-inertial navigation system paired with hardened digital flight computers
* Upgrade Features (M51.3): Enhanced range, higher trajectory precision, and optimized penetration capabilities against anti-ballistic missile (ABM) defenses
