French Navy Rafale Jet fires ASMPA-R missile in carrier nuclear raid drill.

France has conducted its first evaluation firing of the renovated ASMPA-R nuclear-capable cruise missile from a Rafale Marine, in a flight profile representative of a Force aéronavale nucléaire (FANu) strike announced on 13 November by armed forces minister Catherine Vautrin. The shot, carried out shortly after the missile’s frontline entry into the naval air component and following its earlier deployment with the Strategic Air Forces in 2023, confirms that France’s sea-based air arm now fully matches the land-based leg of its airborne deterrent.

France has quietly crossed a new threshold in its nuclear posture. In a message posted on X on 13 November, armed forces minister Catherine Vautrin revealed that a Rafale Marine fighter had successfully carried out an evaluation firing of a renovated Air-sol moyenne portée améliorée rénové (ASMPA-R) missile, without its nuclear charge, at the end of a complex mission profile mirroring a FANu nuclear raid. Conducted under the codename Operation Diomede, the test came only days after the missile entered operational service within the carrier-based aviation component, and followed its earlier validation and frontline adoption by the Strategic Air Forces in 2023.
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The renovation of the ASMP-A results in a missile that retains an architecture comparable to the previous version while integrating a modernised propulsion unit, an improved inertial navigation chain, and a new thermonuclear warhead of around three hundred kilotons. (Picture source: French MoD)

The Rafale Marine and ASMPA-R pairing is now fully qualified in its role as a sea-based airborne vector of deterrence. The Rafale, a twin-engine fighter powered by Safran M88 turbofans, combines modern sensors with multi-role capability. Its RBE2 active electronically scanned array radar provides long-range detection, while the Spectra electronic warfare suite delivers warning, jamming, and decoy functions in dense threat environments. These systems allow the pilot to manage very low-altitude penetration while maintaining situational awareness under emissions control (EMCON). The range, supersonic speed, and mixed-altitude flight profile of the ASMPA-R increase the survivability of the system, especially against integrated air defence networks that are denser than at the time of the first ASMP-A’s introduction.

The renovation of the ASMP-A results in a missile that retains an architecture comparable to the previous version while integrating a modernised propulsion unit, an improved inertial navigation chain, and a new thermonuclear warhead of around three hundred kilotons. The extension of its range, now close to five hundred kilometres, increases the variety of approach axes and enables strikes against high-value targets beyond the first defensive belt. Supersonic cruise speed reduces the adversary’s reaction time, while very low-level or terrain-following flight profiles provide discreet routing. The missile thus remains able to cross anti-access zones created by long-range radars, modern surface-to-air systems, or advanced air defence platforms.

Adoption of the renovated missile by the FAS from 2023 makes it possible to validate its behaviour in strategic raid profiles during complex exercises. With its integration into the FANu, France restores symmetry between its two airborne components, one land-based and the other carrier-borne. The latter operates from the aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle, whose air wing relies on Landivisiau naval air base to maintain operational availability. The ability to project a Rafale–ASMPA-R package from the sea introduces more uncertainty into French strategic planning, since an adversary must factor in a mobile vector whose position is not fixed and can change quickly according to the tempo of naval operations.

At the tactical and operational levels, a naval raid equipped with the ASMPA-R benefits from greater flexibility. The Rafale Marine can fuse data from space-based sensors, naval intelligence and the sensors of the carrier strike group to build a recognised maritime picture (RMP) and contribute to the combined operational picture (COP) of national forces. A deterrence mission can rely on in-flight refuelling provided by A330 Phénix aircraft, widening the range of possible routes and offering multiple options to complicate adversary assessments. The combination of low-altitude penetration, Spectra electronic protection, and a supersonic missile requires the opponent to monitor several vectors at once, whether they originate from a national air base or from the carrier at sea. The forthcoming Rafale F5 standard and the introduction of associated combat drones are expected to further strengthen this architecture by adding collaborative combat functions, deep-strike options, and enhanced surveillance capacity.

The geopolitical scope of Operation Diomede extends beyond the technical dimension. The test occurs at a time when debates on deterrence re-emerge in Europe, against a backdrop of renewed tension with Russia and questions within NATO regarding the distribution of nuclear responsibilities. By confirming that France maintains a modernised, carrier-borne airborne component under strict national control, Paris signals that it retains an independent strategic option, able to operate from the sea and therefore less exposed to a pre-emptive strike.

This posture, supported by a defence industrial and technological base capable of sustaining and developing sensitive systems, contributes to European stability by underlining the resilience of the French deterrence model. For European partners and rival powers alike, the test indicates that French modernisation follows a planned trajectory, that the transition to ASN4G is anticipated, and that France remains one of the few actors able to ensure the continuity of an autonomous deterrent based on complementary air and naval means.