France completed a major step in its nuclear deterrence modernization on 13 November 2025 by conducting a successful evaluation launch of the upgraded ASMPA-R medium-range air-launched cruise missile. The Ministry of the Armed Forces announced the achievement in an official statement from Paris.
Minister of the Armed Forces and Veterans Catherine Vautrin welcomed the result. She noted that the launch confirmed the ASMPA-R’s full operational integration into the Naval Nuclear Air Force (FANU). She had authorized its operational service entry only three days earlier, on 10 November.
The success marks the second major milestone for the renovated missile. The ASMPA-R entered operational service with the Strategic Air Forces in 2023. Consequently, France has now completed the modernization of its airborne nuclear component.
A Rafale Marine launched the unarmed ASMPA-R at the end of a flight that simulated a nuclear strike profile during Operation Diomede. The raid took place over French territory under realistic opposition conditions. Therefore, the event demonstrated the high level of expertise within FANU.
DGA Missile Test Directorate personnel ensured range safety throughout the operation. Tracking assets in Biscarrosse, Hourtin, and Quimper monitored the Rafale-missile trajectory and the missile’s free flight after separation. Their observation validated the missile’s performance during the entire test sequence.
The ASMPA-R program began in 2016 as the latest step in the long evolution of France’s air-launched nuclear strike capability. The original ASMP missile entered service in 1986 after development by Aérospatiale, now part of MBDA. The system served a “pre-strategic” role in French doctrine, offering a final warning before any submarine-launched ballistic missile strike.
France launched development of the improved ASMP-A in 1997, with service entry in 2009. The ASMPA-R followed as a deep modernization effort designed to counter advancing enemy air defenses. MBDA and the DGA replaced key components, enhanced reliability, expanded the operational range, and integrated a new thermonuclear warhead with a variable yield of up to 300 kilotons.
The missile weighs about 860 kilograms and measures 5.38 meters in length. It uses a liquid-fuel ramjet engine and can reach speeds of up to Mach 3. Although exact ranges remain classified, estimates place the ASMPA-R’s reach between 500 and 600 kilometers. Its primary launch platform is the Dassault Rafale, following the retirement of earlier French strike aircraft.
France conducted the first ASMPA-R firing test in December 2021 and the second in March 2022. After entering operational service, the missile was first launched by the Air and Space Force during the nuclear exercise Operation Durandal in May 2024. The latest FANU launch therefore completes the system’s full integration across both branches responsible for airborne deterrence.
The broader modernization effort aligns with the 2024–2030 Military Programming Law. It includes the new M51.3 missile for the oceanic component and the future ASN4G fourth-generation nuclear cruise missile expected around 2035. Together, these capabilities ensure France maintains a credible and flexible nuclear posture.
Minister Vautrin offered her congratulations to the personnel and industrial partners who contributed to the success of Operation Diomede. She stated that the achievement directly supports the President’s objective of sustaining and strengthening France’s strategic autonomy.
