Following the entry into service with the Air Force, a French Navy Rafale-M fighter tested the ASMPA-R supersonic nuclear cruise missile, an upgrade of ASMP-A.
The French Minister of Armed Forces, Catherine Vautrin, announced the first successful test of the ASMPA-R nuclear-armed supersonic cruise missile from a Navy Rafale-M fighter jet operating from the Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier.
The second firing test of the missile was performed in a scenario simulating a first strike, which in French nuclear doctrine serves as a ‘warning shot’.
ASMPA-R, as the refurbished variant of the ASMP-A missile, first entered service with the French Air and Space Force in 2023.
ASMPA-R
ASMPA-R, as the second upgrade to the ASMP cruise missile, replaces some of the outdated components with new ones, including the 300 kt thermonuclear warhead. In addition to internal renewals, the missile’s range is said to be extended from the previous 500+ km.
ASMPA-R, like the preceding variants, is powered by a liquid fuel ramjet, allowing high supersonic speeds up to Mach 3. Before the main ignition, the missile is boosted by an internal solid fuel cartridge to provide the required starting speed after launch.
ASN4G as the Successor of ASMP
ASMPA-R serves as a point of transition towards the ASN4G nuclear-armed cruise missile, which will arm Rafale F5 fighters and eventually the carrier-based fighters to come out of the FCAS programme, which France has been left together with Spain following Germany’s recent leave.
ASN4G retains the emphasis on high speed like ASMP, but at a hypersonic regime. Whereas the liquid fuel ramjet ASMP reaches Mach 3, ASN4G, to be powered by a scramjet, is projected to reach speeds in excess of Mach 6 and reach a range of 1000+ km.
Polishing the Nuclear Triad
The French Navy is modernising another leg of its nuclear capabilities, SLBMs, with the M51.4 upgrade for its M51.3 SLBMs, incorporating improved range, accuracy, and evasive capabilities. Triomphant-class submarines, four of which are operational, form the undersea-based leg of France’s nuclear triad. Other components of the triad are the Air and Space Force Rafale and Navy Rafale-M, both of which are armed with ASMP-series nuclear cruise missiles.
Author: Kaan Azman
Editor:Özgür Ekşi
