This a nuclear air strike, French style.
The following footage was released by the French Air Force.
It shows a Force de Frappe‘s nuclear strike mission flown by a Rafale B multirole jet carrying an ASMP-A nuclear missile (weirdly blurred in the video) belonging to the EC (Escadron de chasse) 1/91 Gascogne at Saint-Dizier.
The video is extremely interesting as it shows the entire mission profile, from the take-off to the return to base, including the aerial refueling from a C-135FR aerial refueler and the simulated attack on the ground target. It lets you hear some radio comms as well.
The attack run is performed at high-speed and ultra low-level: 1,000 km/h at 100 meters.
More from The Aviationist
Last October, the French Air Force celebrated 50 years of French deterrence by the Forces Aériennes Strategiques which are responsible for Paris’s nuclear weapons.
Whilst most countries are a bit “shy” and they usually don’t make their nuclear attack training public, the French are quite proud to showcase their special strike capabilities.
H/T to @DefensAero and Charlie Pinedo for the heads-up
