President Emmanuel Macron has announced the reopening of Luxeuil Air Base, which will host 40 newly built Rafale F5 fighter jets equipped with nuclear-tipped hypersonic missiles.
Announced on the Mar. 18, 2025, France will invest 1.5 billion euros into Luxeuil Air Base to equip it with the French Air and Space Force’s newest variant of the 4.5 generation Rafale, which will operate in the nuclear deterrent role with the hypersonic ASN4G nuclear-tipped cruise missile.
Luxeuil, known locally as Base Aérienne 116, had been a part of France’s nuclear deterrent infrastructure until 2011, when it was converted into a Quick Reaction Alert (QRA) base, operating in this manner from 2015. Currently housing the Escadron de Chasse 1/2 Cigognes, flying Mirage 2000-5Fs in the QRA role, the air base will be used from 2032 exclusively by two squadrons of the new build Rafale F5, which will take on the nuclear deterrent alongside QRA and other NATO duties.
The Mirage 2000-5Fs currently operating out of Luxeuil will retire by 2029, with many of them slated to be gifted to Ukraine as a part of France’s military aid to the country. This will free up both pilots and hangar space for the new Rafales as the squadrons form in 2032 and 2036, respectively.
NEW: 🇫🇷During a visit to Haute-Saône, President Emmanuel Macron confirmed the arrival of the latest version of the Rafale fighter jet at Air Base 116 in Luxeuil-les-Bains.
“The historic nuclear mission of Luxeuil will continue. By 2035, Luxeuil will be the first base to host the… pic.twitter.com/aaDlmMLboH
— Final Causer (@finalcauseer) March 18, 2025
This new announcement returns the base to France’s ‘Force de dissuasion’ as it already houses much of the infrastructure necessary to facilitate the operation of nuclear-equipped fighter aircraft, with storage facilities for nuclear weapons already built.
Notably, the new Rafale F5s appear to be in addition to 42 already ordered for the French Air and Space Force in January 2024 and in addition to the 166 currently in service with the Air Force and 40 in service with the Navy. This represents a significant long-term investment in France’s combat air strength at a time when it is needed the most in Europe. The reinforcement of France’s nuclear stockpile will also be welcomed in European defense circles, following American policy changes towards European security and the war in Ukraine.
NEW
French aviation giant “Dassault” will double the production of Rafale fighter jets to four or five per month by early 2026. Production of AASM “Hammer” 550 lb bombs will also double.
🇪🇺🇫🇷 pic.twitter.com/pzGfeE6Mgd
— Astraia Intel (@astraiaintel) March 9, 2025
Macron’s announcement was made amidst a flurry of international events pertaining to Europe’s security, with President Donald Trump’s phone call to Vladimir Putin over a potential ceasefire and hopeful end to the war in Ukraine. At the same time the German Bundestag voted in favor of reforming debt rules pertaining to defense and defense infrastructure, allowing for a significant reinvestment over the next parliament. Macron’s statement comes at a critical juncture, highlighting French leadership in Europe during this moment of geopolitical crisis.
France may be looking to share its nuclear deterrent with other European allies, in a similar form to the United States’ current nuclear sharing deals with Germany, Italy, Belgium, the Netherlands and Turkey. Macron’s announcement that France is willing to provide nuclear deterrence for NATO member states is important and represents a significant change in France’s nuclear posture, with this likely to involve French nuclear-equipped Rafale Bs conducting nuclear deterrent flights from allied air bases. Germany seems to be the main target of this initiative, with Macron’s visit to Luxeuil taking place just before a planned visit to the country.
So far, Poland has responded favorably to the French proposal, although they currently favor American nuclear weapons deployed from the F-35A which is entering Polish service.
The French Nuclear Warning Shot
French nuclear use doctrine is remarkably different from the doctrine used by most nuclear powers. France possesses a strategic nuclear capability in the form of four Le Triomphant class SSBN: Le Triomphant, Le Téméraire, Le Vigilant, and Le Terrible. Each submarine carries the M51 submarine launched ballistic missile, which has a 10,000km range an between four and six Multiple Independently targetable Reentry Vehicles (MIRV), each with a 150 kiloton yield.
However, they also utilize around 50 Rafale Bs and a similar number of ASMP-A nuclear cruise missiles for demonstrative measures, including what is effectively a nuclear warning shot.
If France’s vital national interests are at stake, the pre-strategic 300 kiloton ASMP-A is intended to be launched against the military infrastructure of the state that is threatening those interests. This is intended to be France’s ultimate warning for a hostile state to back away from its actions before a response using the continuous at sea nuclear deterrent (CASD) is considered. The aim here is to re-establish France’s nuclear deterrent if hostile action has brought a situation close to the strategic use of nuclear weapons, ensuring that France does not have to turn to its final resort.
On Nuclear Duty! A pair of French Rafale Ms armed with nuclear-tipped ASMP-A missiles on the deck of Charles de Gaulle. pic.twitter.com/VV2dPqW7oF
— Air Power (@RealAirPower1) March 5, 2025
Whilst this approach to nuclear weapons is hotly debated amongst academics and military personnel as to its practicality, it has become a rigid aspect of France’s nuclear doctrine being codified in a speech by President Macron in 2020. Interestingly, Macron highlights a “European dimension” to France’s nuclear doctrine meaning that in certain scenarios an attack on Europe outside of France could constitute an act necessitating a nuclear warning shot. This phrasing opens the way for possible nuclear sharing in the future between France and its various allies.
Appontage d’un #Rafale M :
– Environ 250 km/h de vitesse d’approche,
– Viser 3 brins espacés de 5 m et baptisés Athéna, Aphrodite et Andromède,
– Arrêt sur 70 m !https://t.co/0PuKoqcVz1
🎥 tvalexgary pic.twitter.com/vzYOHKYK3q
— Philippe AMIEL (@RafaleFan) January 19, 2025
A flexible nuclear response is key to France’s strategic autonomy with the Rafale B being at the center of this doctrine. Currently France operates three air bases fitted with the necessary infrastructure needed to operate nuclear armed aircraft. Saint-Dizier, Istres, and Avord house around 50 Rafale Bs, a two seater variant of the aircraft, that replaced the Mirage 2000N in the nuclear role. They carry the ASMP-A nuclear missile, of which 54 are currently in service and ready to use.
The additional base at Luxeuil and the addition of new aircraft and missiles represents a doubling of France’s airborne nuclear deterrent, if the Rafale F5s are intended to be additional to the current nuclear structure. This highlights France’s commitment to its nuclear policy, showing that the country is a strong contender for leadership in Europe.
The Rafale F5
The Rafale F5 is set to become France’s newest development of the Rafale platform with upgrades designed to keep the 4.5 gen fighter relevant and capable into the 2060s. It is designed to be accompanied by a stealthy Unmanned Combat Aerial Vehicle (UCAV), acting as a loyal wingman to the fighter. The UCAV aims to provide deep penetration reconnaissance and strike capabilities allowing the Rafale pilot to use force in areas covered by complex Ground Based Air Defenses (GBAD).
The UCAV will feature “man-in-the-loop” control, with the Rafale pilot directing the UCAV and giving it commands on weapons release or reconnaissance whilst the drone handles its own flying.
The Rafale F5 will incorporate a new Thales RBEX2 Radar, improving detection range, resolution and sensor fusion and giving the pilot an unparalleled situational awareness compared to current generation radar systems. However, changes to the airframe are also a possibility, with conformal fuel tanks and radar cross section reduction kits being considered during development.
However, the main strength of the Rafale F5 will be the next generation ASN4G nuclear cruise missile, with which the fighter will perform its main tasking at Luxeuil.
From ASMP to ASN4G
ASMP-A (Air-Sol Moyenne Portée – Amélioré, translated as Air to Ground Medium Range – Improved) is the current iteration of France’s airborne nuclear deterrent, which originally entered service in 1986 replacing free fall bombs dropped from Mirage IV and Super Etendard strike aircraft. In its original form, the ASMP had a 300 km range and a variable 100-300 kiloton warhead, with 90 missiles and 80 warheads produced.
In 1996, the Mirage IV would be supplanted in the nuclear deterrent role by the Mirage 2000N, a two-seater variant of the Mirage produced solely for the nuclear role and designed from the ground up to launch the ASMP and, later, the ASMP-A nuclear missile.
Dassault Mirage IV, supersonic strategic bomber made to deliver nuclear ordnance pic.twitter.com/GOtEFSSVE4
— Rouge 🇫🇷 (@BaguetteWeapons) August 25, 2023
The ASMP-A has an extended range of 500 km and is powered by a ramjet engine with a top speed of Mach 3. Entering service in 2009, the ASMP-A is now the mainstay of the airborne nuclear deterrent operating from the Rafale B, after the Mirage 2000N was retired in 2018.
A new variant of the ASMP is also in production, named the ASMPA-R. Currently undergoing trials, the missile extends the striking range of the Rafale even further, and adds a new 300 kiloton warhead to supplant the ASMP-A currently in service.
Yet, as the 2030s approach, the ASMP-A and ASMPA-R will both leave service, replaced by the new ASN4G (Air-Sol Nucléaire de 4ème Génération, or Air to Ground Nuclear of 4th Generation). Beginning from 2016, the ASN4G is being developed by MBDA Missile Systems as France’s next generation hypersonic nuclear missile. Powered by a scramjet, the missile is intended to be able to reach speeds between Mach 6 and Mach 7. This makes it much harder for hostile air defenses to neutralize the missile and its payload before it has been able to deliver its 300 kiloton warning.
The missile will double the range of the ASMP-A, increasing the Rafale’s striking range to 1000 km. This would also outrange all of Europe’s current air launched cruise missiles and could make a non-nuclear variant of the missile a contender for the European Long-Range Strike Approach (ELSA) program, which is seeking a ground-launched European common ballistic or cruise missile with a 1000 to 2000 km range.
As well as this, the missile will be fully stealth-capable with a reduced radar cross section, stealth coating and in-built electronic warfare countermeasures, ensuring the missile will reach its target regardless of what is thrown in its way, ensuring that France’s nuclear deterrent remains absolute.
French President Emmanuel Macron has pledged to increase orders for Rafale fighter jets and invest €1.5 billion in an air base as part of the country’s nuclear deterrent.
The announcement was made during a visit to the Luxeuil-les-Bains air base in eastern France, a key… pic.twitter.com/zlJIIEubeV
— News Nucleus (@NewsNucleus) March 19, 2025
France’s decision to buy the ASN4G and its fighter of choice, the Rafale F5, along with the redevelopment of Luxeuil Air Base, reassures NATO of France’s commitment not only to its own strategic autonomy, but also to Europe’s overall security. In the future it may become far more common to see French aircraft operating in European skies, ready to use their warning shots to ensure that war does not again imperil peace on the continent.
