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The article explains the differences between French nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines (SSBNs) and nuclear-powered attack submarines (SSNs), specifying that SSBNs, which carry nuclear weapons, are currently being replaced by third-generation SSBNs, while SSNs are not equipped for strategic missions. #SNLE #MissileM51 #DissuasionNucleaire (translated)

Etienne Marcuz wrote that the strategic oceanic force had conducted a launch of an M51.3 missile that very morning from the nuclear submarine Le Vigilant. According to him, this launch validated the ship's return to operational cycle after three years of maintenance and constituted the first operational launch of the M51.3 from a submarine. He specified that the launch in November 2023 was a qualification test conducted from the DGA land test center. Marcuz indicated that he created an infographic with CalvaireDrach, presenting the stages of the launch, from the transmission of the order to the impact of the re-entry vehicles — without their nuclear payload — in the Atlantic Ocean, 4,700 kilometers west of the launch area. He explained that the diagram was based on American documents and that differences might exist between the French M51 and the American Trident II D5 systems, even though their general principles were common. He added that the technical details concerned were protected by confidentiality and requested that CalvaireDrach be credited in case of reuse of the infographic. #M51 #Missile #ForceOcéaniqueStrategique (translated)

Little Think Tank indicated that the Strategic Oceanic Force had carried out the first "operational" launch of an M51.3 intercontinental ballistic missile from the nuclear submarine Le Vigilant. According to the report, this launch had validated the submarine's return to operational status after three years of maintenance. The author clarified that this was the first launch of the M51.3 from a submarine. The previous launch, in November 2023, was a qualification test conducted from the DGA's Landes test center. Little Think Tank added that the reentry body or bodies, lacking a nuclear charge, had completed their trajectory in the Atlantic Ocean, about 4,700 km west of the launch area. #France #Militaire #Armement (translated)