A test firing of an unarmed nuclear missile from a French submarine lit up the skies over the Finistère coast on Tuesday morning, startling residents who described the spectacle as both awe-inspiring and thunderous.
The launch, carried out from the nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine Le Vigilant, was conducted under Operation Smertrios and observed by President Emmanuel Macron, according to the Ministry of the Armed Forces.
Shortly after 9:10 a.m., witnesses reported seeing a large trail streak across the sky, accompanied by a sustained roar. The missile involved was an M51.3 — the third iteration of France’s sea-based strategic ballistic missile — marking its first test launch in this configuration.
‘We Saw the Missile Come Out of the Water’
Éric, a local resident who watched the launch from a café in Penmarc’h, described the moment with astonishment.
“We saw the missile come out of the water. It was impressive!” he told ICI Breizh Izel. “We ran outside to see the trail. There was a fairly high cloud cover, so we saw the entire lower part of the missile. Twenty or thirty seconds later, there was the detonation. It lasted 20 or 30 seconds. It was enormous!”
Gwenaël Le Cleach, who manages a bakery near the Eckmühl lighthouse, compared the sound to amplified thunder.
“It was thunder, but much louder. Everyone came outside to see — we were all surprised,” he said.
Missile Landed in North Atlantic
According to the Ministry of the Armed Forces and Veterans Affairs, the missile was “devoid of its nuclear warhead” and was fired “in strict compliance with France’s international commitments.”
The weapon was tracked throughout its flight phase by the Directorate General of Armaments’ missile testing division. It splashed down in the North Atlantic, several hundred kilometers from any coastline, the ministry said.
The test “validates” the submarine’s weapons system, officials added.
A Major Step in France’s Nuclear Modernization
The M51.3 entered operational service nearly a year ago, on October 24, representing what the ministry called “a major step in the modernization of the oceanic component of French deterrence.”
The upgraded missile features new oceanic nuclear warheads, known as TNO-2, and offers improved range, precision, and penetration capability compared with earlier versions.
France maintains its nuclear deterrent as a cornerstone of its defense strategy, with submarine-launched missiles forming the sea-based leg of its triad.
