By Yang Chengjun
The French military recently test-fired a new air-launched cruise missile with a range of 500km from a Rafale M fighter. Developed by MBDA and Dassault Aviation, the new air-launched missile is able to carry a nuclear warhead, French media reported. The news has been confirmed by the French Ministry of Armed Forces.
It is learnt that, the test-fired cruise missile is powered by a liquid fuel ramjet engine with the maximal speed of Mach 3 and is fitted with the new TNA 300kt thermonuclear warhead, nearly 20 times as powerful as the atomic bombs dropped by the US at Japan’s Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945. Previously France’s air-based nuclear weapons were mostly launched from Mirage 2000N-K3 fighters, but now they will be launched from the new-generation Rafale fighters.
This is the latest decision made by Paris considering the international situation. In the face of the drastically undulating security situation globally, especially in the US, France has what it deems as sufficient reasons to strengthen military development and reinforce its strategic assault capability in the air. Paris must have felt potential military threats from other directions, impelling it to invest hugely in its air-based nuclear strike capability.
This is an important measure to enhance the overall combat force of the French military. While most countries are developing mid-range and long-range weapons, France is developing cruise missiles with only a 500km range. As far as I'm concerned, Paris made the decision based on two considerations. First, the short-range missile is just a transition to make technical preparations for developing the next-generation air-launched nuclear weapon, which will reach a speed of Mach 4-5 and a range of over 1,000km. Second, Paris is ultimately aimed to develop more advanced air-launch platforms or fighter jets to make close-in launches and make up for the short missile range.
This means the threshold of using nuclear weapons is constantly being lowered. By testing new air-launched nuclear missiles to replace older in-service counterparts, Paris aims to improve strike precision, reduce the yield of nuclear weapons, and contain collateral damages, thus further lowing the threshold of using nuclear weapons. After abolishing land-based nuclear weapons in 1996, France only has nuclear capacities on the sea and in the air, so its latest test of new missiles is intended to fortify its nuclear assault capability.
France is a member of the UN Security Council, a chief member of the EU, and one of America's allies. Still, compared with other allies, it maintains a certain degree of independence and doesn’t always follow America’s lead. Therefore, we need to keep a close eye on its active testing of air-based nuclear weapon carriers and next-step deployments, carry out necessary observation and analysis.
(The author is a retired researcher of the General Staff of the PLA Rocket Force, Senior Colonel, professor, and doctoral supervisor entitled to the special allowance of the State Council. This article is originally published on mil.ifeng.com, and is translated from Chinese into English and edited by the China Military Online. The information, ideas or opinions appearing in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of eng.chinamil.com.cn.)
