| Country: |
France |
| Class: |
SLBM |
| Basing: |
Submarine-launched |
| Length: |
11.05 m |
| Diameter: |
1.93 m |
| Launch Weight: |
35000 kg |
| Payload: |
6 MRV warheads |
| Warhead: |
Nuclear, 100 kT |
| Propulsion: |
3-stage solid |
| Range: |
4000-5000 km |
| Status: |
Obsolete |
| In Service: |
1985-2004 |
Details
The M-4 is an intermediate-range, submarine-based, solid-propellant ballistic missile. Its predecessor, the M-20, was phased out in favor of the M-4, which features a longer range, an improved payload, and multiple warheads. The two major versions of the M-4 are the M-4A and the longer-range M-4B. In addition, there is an M-4 variant, the M-45, which has an even longer range and greater accuracy.
At present, France has the fourth largest strategic arsenal in the world (after the US, Russia, and China), with over three hundred strategic warheads. Under Charles de Gaulle, France pursued an alternate nuclear program to that of NATO, the goal of which has been to function autonomously and provide France with the ability to escalate conflicts quickly. In 1985, the M-4 officially replaced its predecessor, the M-20, as the core of France's sea-based deterrent force, capable of striking most key population centers from the safety of international waters. It was the fourth missile in France's MSBS (Mer-Sol-Balistique-Stratégique) family.
Due to the fact that submarines are difficult to locate, the M-4 missiles can be kept relatively safe from a preemptive strike and are able to penetrate enemy waters to increase the number of potential targets. For instance, the detonation of six M-4 warheads over a single target area would be more devastating against civilian populations than a single larger warhead. For this reason, the M-4 is most effective against large, soft targets such as cities, although its accuracy is insufficient for use against hardened targets. These factors make the M-45 an effective deterrent weapon, to be used in case of an attack.
The M-4 is 11.05 m long, 1.93 m in diameter, and weighs 35,000 kg. The M-4A has a range of 4,000 km (2,485 miles) and the M-4B has a range of 5,000 km (3,107 miles). Both use a three-stage solid propellant engine. The M-4 design has an estimated payload of 1,700 kg, which contains six Mutliple Reentry Vehicle (MRV) warheads each with a 100 kT nuclear yield. Both the M-4A and the M-4B have an accuracy of 500 m CEP. In 1988, a proposal was made to adapt an M-4 variant for land-basing to replace the S-3, but was not pursued.1
In 1996, France abandoned land-based deterrence in favor of a sea-based deterrence, resulting in decreased costs and increased security. Reports indicate that in 2004 the M-4 was withdrawn from service in favor of the larger M-45 submarine launched ballistic missile (SLBM). L'Indomptable was the last SSBN not refit with the M-45 SLBM and it was decommissioned in 2005 and removed from patrol duties. The last of the Redoutable Class, L'Inflexible, was refitted to carry M-45s in 1999/2000.2
Footnotes
- Duncan Lennox, ed., Jane's Strategic Weapons Systems 46 (Surrey: Jane's Information Group, January 2007), 43-44; GlobalSecurity.org, "M-4/M-45," available at http://www.globalsecurity.org/wmd/world/france/m-4.htm, accessed on 2 June, 2008.
- Lennox, Volume 46, Pages 43-44; GlobalSecurity.org, "M-4/M-45"; Robert S. Norris and William M. Arkin, "NRDC Nuclear Notebook: French Nuclear Forces, 2005," Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists 62 (July/August 2005 ), 73-75, available at http://thebulletin.metapress.com/content/n8rn0x5567572723/fulltext.pdf, accessed on 3 June 2008; Nuclear Threat Initiative, "France Overview," available at http://www.nti.org/e_research/profiles/France/index_5758.html, accessed on 2 June 2008
