| Country: |
France |
| Alternate Name: |
P-3 |
| Class: |
IRBM |
| Basing: |
Silo based |
| Length: |
13.80 m |
| Diameter: |
1.50 m |
| Launch Weight: |
25 kg |
| Payload: |
Single warhead, 1000 kg |
| Warhead: |
Nuclear 1.2 MT |
| Propulsion: |
2-stage solid |
| Range: |
3500 km |
| Status: |
Obsolete |
| In Service: |
1982-1996 |
Details
The S-3 was an intermediate-range, silo-based, solid-propellant ballistic missile. It was the second generation French strategic missile, designed to update the S-2 missile that was previously the main land-based element of the French nuclear force (deployed 1971-~1980). The S-3 was designed to be fired from converted S-2 silos, which were equipped with automatic launching equipment and were hardened to survive a nuclear strike. It is reported that the S-3 used an advanced reentry system with radiation hardening and a system of penetration aids. The S-3 is essentially the same missile platform as the M-20 but with a superior first stage allowing for increased range.
Under Charles de Gaulle, France pursued an alternate nuclear program to that of NATO. The French nuclear deterrent was developed to function autonomously of the NATO command structure and provide France with the ability to quickly escalate a conflict and extend its own deterrence. The S-3 was the mainstay of the land-based French deterrent force. France began developing the S-3 in 1973 and inaugurated the first group of missiles and solos in May 1980. By 1982, a total of 18 missiles had been deployed. The S-3 was designed for counter strikes against Russian strategic targets in the advent of a nuclear war.
The S-3 was 13.8 m in length, 1.5 m in diameter, and weighed 25,800 kg with a maximum payload of a 100 kg warhead. It deployed a counter-value 1.2 mT warhead up to a maximum range of 3,500 km (2,175 miles). The missile’s accuracy was uncertain, but given the technology at the time of deployment, it is presumed to have been in the hundreds of meters CEP. The S-3 most likely would have been unable to destroy missile silos, although its 1.2 mT warhead was ideal to inflict heavy damage on cities, many of which were within its range. The S-3 was powered by a two-stage solid propellant engine.(1)
With the decrease of the threat from the Soviet Union, the S-3’s 3,500 km range became insufficient for modern threats in East Asia. In addition, the silo program, although a great source of national pride, became too costly for the French welfare state. Thus, the missiles have since been deactivated. The S-3 was originally planned to replace the land-based version of the M-51 by 2005, but in 1994 France opted instead to replace the S-3 with the M-45. In 1996, however, France decided that its nuclear deterrent would henceforth be entirely sea-based.(2)The S-3 missiles were deactivated in September 1996, although the status of their warheads is unknown.(3)
Footnotes
- Duncan Lennox, ed., Jane’s Strategic Weapons Systems 46 (Surrey: Jane’s Information Group, January 2007), 553; GlobalSecurity.org, “S-3,” available at http://www.globalsecurity.org/wmd/world/france/s-3.htm, accessed on 16 May 2005.
- Joseph Fitchett, “Downsizing the Nuclear Arsenal Main Base Closing,” International Herald Tribune, 25 April 1996; “France’s New Nuclear Policy To Be Unobtrusive, Cheaper,” The Globe and Mail, 2 May 1996.
- Center for Defense Information, “Nuclear Weapon Database: French Arsenal,” available at http://www.cdi.org/nuclear/database/frnukes.html, accessed on 16 May 2005.
