| Country: |
France |
| Class: |
SLBM |
| Basing: |
Submarine-launched |
| Length: |
11.05 m |
| Diameter: |
1.93 m |
| Launch Weight: |
35 kg |
| Payload: |
6 MRV warheads |
| Warhead: |
Nuclear 100 kT |
| Propulsion: |
3-stage solid |
| Range: |
6000 km |
| Status: |
Operational |
| In Service: |
1997 |
Details
The M-45 is an intercontinental-range, submarine-based, solid-propellant ballistic missile. With improved range and accuracy over the M-4, the M-45 has become the new core of the French sea-based nuclear deterrent, currently making up 75 percent of France's submarine-launched nuclear ballistic missiles. Following the retirement of the nuclear submarine L'Indomitable, which holds the last M-4Bs, the M-45 will constitute the entirety of the French submarine nuclear deterrent. The Ministry of Defense recently announced its plan to replace the M-45 with the new M-51 beginning in 2010.
At present, France has the fourth largest strategic arsenal in the world (after the US, Russia, and China), with over three hundred strategic warheads. France has 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 1996, France abandoned land-based deterrence in favor of a sea-based deterrence, resulting in decreased costs and increased security. The following year, the M-45 entered service 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 fifth missile in France's MSBS (Mer-Sol-Balistique-Stratégique) family, following the M-1, M-2, M-20, and M-4.
Due to the fact that submarines are difficult to locate, the M-45 missiles can be kept relatively safe from a pre-emptive strike and are able to penetrate enemy waters to increase the number of potential targets. For instance, the detonation of six M-45 warheads over a single target area would be more devastating against civilian populations than a single larger warhead. For this reason, the M-45 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-45 is 11.05 m long, 1.93 m in diameter, and weighs 35,000 kg. It has a range of 6,000 km (3,728 miles) and is powered by a three-stage solid-propellant engine. The first stage weighs 20,000 kg with a thrust of 70 tonnes controlled through a single steerable nozzle; the second stage weighs 8,000 kg with a thrust of 30 tonnes; the third stage weighs 1,500 kg with a thrust of 7 tonnes. The M-45 has a payload of up to six 100 kT nuclear yield Multiple Reentry Vehicle (MRV) warheads (TN-75s) and also includes penetration aids. It has a reported accuracy of 350 m CEP using an inertial guidance system coupled with computer payload control.
In March 1986, an M-4 was launched 6,000 km (3,728 miles) and is believed to have been the first test flight for the M-45. In 1994, plans for a silo-based M-45 variant to replace the S-3 were announced, though they were dropped in 1996. Altogether, France built a total of 192 M-45 missiles. The first 16 were fitted to Le Triomphant, the first of four SNLE-NG (Sous-Marins Nucléaires Lanceurs Engins-Nouvelle Génération) new generation submarines. The second, Le Temeraire, entered service in 1999; the third, Le Vigilant, was expected to enter service in 2004; and the fourth, Le Terrible, is expected for 2008.(1)
France recently announced its intention to replace the M-45 with the new M-51 beginning in 2010. In late 2004, the Ministry of Defense awarded the production contract to EADS Space Transportation and G2P, a joint venture of Snecma Propulsion Solide and SNPE Materiaux Energentiques. The M-51s will most likely be fitted to the fourth SNLE-NG, Le Terrible.(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 12 May 2005.
- Lennox 46, 44; “France Awards M-51 Contract,” Jane’s Defence Weekly, 12 January 2005; “Paris Purchases SLBMs,” Periscope Daily Defense News Capsules, 5 January 2005.
France Updating SLBM Arsenal
November 10, 2004 :: AP :: News
France is set to award $1.55 billion in contracts for the first set of new submarine launched ICBMs. Development of the M-51 began in 1998, and it has been designed to replace the older M-45 missiles. Reuters reports that the M-51 will be deployed on French submarines by 2010; earlier estimates set the date at 2008.
The Associated Press describes the contract as being for an unspecified number of missiles. It seems likely, however, that the number will be at least 64. France currently has 16 M-45 missiles deployed on each of four submarines, where the M-51 will also be deployed. When the M-45 entered service in 1997, 192 were reported to have been built. (Article, Link)
» French description of M-51, M-45 missiles
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