France's Macron observes test of new nuclear-capable missile without warhead
French President Emmanuel Macron at a press conference held at the Élysée Palace on 18 September 2026. - © AFP, Thomas Samson
France on Tuesday test-fired for the first time its new M51.3 nuclear-capable ballistic missile from a nuclear-powered submarine, the defence ministry said. It was not carrying a warhead.
The missile, a variant of France's M51 missile, was fired from the Le Vigilant submarine off Brittany and impacted "in the North Atlantic, hundreds of kilometres from any coastline," it said. President Emmanuel Macron witnessed the firing from a French warship, an official told AFP.
FRANCE24 with AFP