France conducts first submarine launch of M51.3 ballistic missile
The French Navy conducts its first acceptance firing of an M51.3 missile from the SSBN Le Vigilant on 6 October 2026. (French Ministry of the Armed Forces)
France conducted the first submarine launch of its M51.3 submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) on 6 October 2026, firing the weapon without a nuclear warhead from the Le Triomphant-class nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine (SSBN) Le Vigilant off Finistère.
The acceptance firing, undertaken as part of Operation Smertrios, validated the submarine's ability to operate its missile system following a major maintenance period, according to France's defence procurement agency, the Direction générale de l'armement (DGA). The agency's missile test centre, DGA Essais de missiles, tracked the flight using assets including the instrumentation ship Monge . The missile's impact area was in the North Atlantic, several hundred km from any coast.
French President Emmanuel Macron observed the launch from the FREMM-class frigate Auvergne . On 6 October 2026, France's Minister of the Armed Forces, Catherine Vautrin, said it had enabled Le Vigilant “to validate the operational capability of its weapon system after several months of maintenance.” It also allowed the service to “perpetuate the operational and technical credibility of the nuclear forces by renewing the capabilities of its components in accordance with the framework set out by the 2024-2030 Military Programming Law,” she said.
The launch followed Le Vigilant
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