The announcement came after the second launch test of this missile from the French Navy’s Rafale fighter. The ministry stated in its announcement that the launch “came after the Minister of Defense and Veterans Affairs signed a document to introduce the missile into operational service on November 10, 2025, within the Navy’s nuclear air-sea forces.” France plans to develop a fourth-generation nuclear missile “ASN4G” and a new ballistic missile “M51.4” by 2035.
At the end of October, the Ministry of Defense stated that the French Navy currently possesses three versions of the “M51” missile, the first of which entered service in 2010. In August, the Directorate General of Armaments signed an agreement with Arian Group to develop and produce the fourth version of this missile.
In September, the French channel BFM TV reported that Arian Group would develop a new version of the strategic ballistic missile “M51.” The mass of the new version will exceed 50 tons, and it will be 12 meters long. According to the company, the missile belongs to the “sea-to-earth” category and can reach an altitude of over 2000 kilometers, with a speed upon entering the atmosphere of 20,000 kilometers per hour (Mach 20).
