French Navy conducts M51 ballistic missile test from submarine

Europe, News April 22, 2023 , by IRIA No Comments

France’s Ministry of Defense announced that the French Navy has conducted yet another successful test for its submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) M51. The missile was fired from French Navy’s Le Terrible nuclear-powered submarine. it was the sixth missile test for Le Terrible submarine.

The announcement came from French Defense Minister Sebastien Lecornu. He said that during the test M51 missile was launched without a warhead. France’s M51 SLBM can carry both conventional and nuclear warheads.

The French defense minister added that the test was conducted under the control and supervision of the Directorate General of Armaments and the Ministry of Defense of France.

The French Ministry of Defense released a statement regarding the test saying that “this firing confirms the operational capacity of the SSBN Le Terrible’s deterrent weapon system.” It further added that the successful test “once again demonstrates the excellence of the defense industry of France”.

Standing 12 meters tall with a diameter of 2.3 meters, the M51 missile has a mass of 52,000 kilograms. The French government has spent more than $6 billion on the development. The missile can achieve Mach 25 speed and is guided by an Astro-inertial guidance system.

*^{France’s M51 missile after launch. (Image Credit: French Ministry of Armed Forces)}*

French Ministry of the Armed Forces has kept the actual range of the missile classified and said that M51’s basic range is beyond 6,000 kilometers. Experts believe that the missile’s operational range could be between 8000 to 10,000 kilometers.

The missile is powered by a three-stage engine that runs on solid-fuel ammonium perchlorate composite propellant. It was first developed in 2010 by the French aerospace company ArianeGroup, a joint venture of France’s two aerospace giants, Airbus and Safran. The French military is the sole operator of the missile.

Le Terrible Submarine

The naval platform that carried the missile for the launch was the French Triomphant-class submarine Le Terrible (S619). It is a nuclear-powered submarine designed to carry nuclear-capable ballistic missiles. M51 is the primary SLBM for the Le Terrible submarine.

The submarine was also used in carrying out the first test for the M51 missile in 2010. French Navy’s Triomphant-class submarines can dive to a depth of 400 meters and travel at a maximum speed of over 25 knots.

The French military has four Triomphant-class submarines that entered service in 1997, 1999, 2004, and 2010. Le Terrible is the latest of the four nuclear submarines. The submarine has an integrated system for electronic warfare and decoys. Each of the Triomphant-class submarines can carry up to 16 M45 or M51 submarine-launched ballistic missiles.