France Tests Ballistic Missile Capable of Carrying Nuclear Warheads

Paris, Oct 6 (KUNA) -- The French Ministry of Defense announced on Tuesday that it conducted the first test of a new ballistic missile (M51), capable of carrying nuclear warheads, launched from a nuclear-powered submarine. The ministry said in a statement that “the missile was not equipped with a warhead during the test.” It explained that the missile, an upgraded version of the M51, was launched from the submarine Le Vigilant off the coast of Brittany in northwestern France and landed in the North Atlantic Ocean, hundreds of kilometers from any coastline. French President Emmanuel Macron witnessed the launch from aboard a French warship. (End) m.b./a.m.s.