France tests nuclear-capable M51.3 missile as Macron oversees launch

France has test-launched its M51.3 intercontinental ballistic missile from a nuclear submarine in the Atlantic, with President Emmanuel Macron overseeing the exercise.

• France test-launched the M51.3 intercontinental ballistic missile from the nuclear submarine Le Vigilant in the North Atlantic on Tuesday.
• Macron oversaw the launch from a French Navy frigate as part of operation Smerterius.
• The Ministry of Armed Forces said the missile carried no nuclear warhead and fell hundreds of kilometers from any coast.
• Macron proposed that European states join France's nuclear deterrence system.
• The M51.3 missile was test-launched off the coast of Brittany.
• Macron warned of shifting Russian threats and announced plans to expand France's nuclear arsenal.