Le Terrible has never lived up to its name so well. The nuclear ballistic missile submarine (SNLE), a key element of the deterrence, successfully carried out the test launch of the M51 strategic ballistic missile.
This 4th test was piloted by the DGA test and expertise center and with the Atomic Energy and Alternative Energies Commission (CEA). He it took place on April 19 from Audierne Bay, in Finisterre.
The missile was launched into the North Atlantic several hundred kilometers from either coast. This test, of course, was carried out without a nuclear charge and “in strict compliance with France’s international commitments”, specifies the Ministry of the Armed Forces.
The four SSBNs of the Le Triomphant class
This sea-to-surface missile is a multi-headed model. It has a warhead that can hold up to 10 nuclear warheads, each of which can be aimed at different targets. Its impact power is estimated to be 1000 times that of the Hiroshima nuclear bomb.
About a dozen meters long, it has a range of about 10,000 kilometers to hit a target at a speed of mach 15. The M51 is eventually due to arm the four Le Triomphant-class SSBNs, namely Le Triomphant, Le Bold, The Vigilant and The Horrible. Each of them can carry up to 16 nuclear missiles.
Source: BFM TV
