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'' missile mobile launcher]] The ''Force de frappe'' (literally ''Striking Force''; meant for ''dissuasion'', i.e. Deterrence ) is the designation of what used to be a triad of air, sea and land based French Nuclear Forces, part of the Military Of France . France has the fourth largest nuclear force in the world, after the United States, China, and Russia. HISTORY It was conceived in the (ironically an ex-French colony), could hesitate rather than risk retaliation on its own homeland in order to save its European allies. Initially, the ''Force de frappe'' consisted of gravity bombs; the Dassault '' Mirage IV '' strategic bomber was designed so as to carry the bombs over the targets in the former Eastern bloc. Later, the land element contained the ''Pluton'' and the ''Hadès'' , mobile tactical and strategic missiles of limited range, designed to be launched at approaching Russia n armies from the East. The ''Pluton'' missile was retired in 1993 and its successor the ''Hadès'' was produced in limited numbers in the 1990s and placed in storage in 1992 (the last missile was dismantled on June 23 , 1997 ). The bomber version of the ''Mirage IV'' was retired in 1996 . Since it was deemed that a full-scale Soviet invasion of Europe was unlikely to be stopped by conventional forces, these weapons were meant as a " Warning Shot " which would tell the enemy that further advance would trigger a full-scale nuclear attack on its main cities. This "worse-case" doctrine is called ''Stratégie du faible au fort'' ("Weak-to-strong strategy"); the idea behind is that a full-scale nuclear war would be lost by both opponents, and that a stronger opponent, having more to lose, would therefore refrain from proceeding further (like "being the best boxer in a gunfight" —see MAD ). The principle was summarised by De Gaulle himself:
PRESENT STATE Land-based component France does not have active IRBM s anymore, the only IRBM base at the Plateau d'Albion ( Vaucluse region) having been deactivated in 1996. The other two long range elements of the triad are still operative. Sea-based component '' type) with the M4 Missile ; right, the SNLE-NG ('' Triomphant '' type) with the present M45 Missile and the future M51 Missile .]] The French Navy includes a nuclear strategic branch, the '' Force Océanique Stratégique '', composed of a fleet of Nuclear Ballistic Submarines made up of one ''Redoutable'' -class unit (the '' Inflexible '') and three SSBN s of the ''Triomphant'' -class (the '' Triomphant '', the '' Téméraire '', the '' Vigilant ''). One additional ''Triomphant'' class, the '' Terrible '', is under construction, commissioning being due for 2008. Air-based component The air force has 60 Mirage 2000 NK2 long range fighter bombers carrying ''ASMP'' medium-range attack missiles with nuclear warheads. They replaced the initial Mirage IV . SEE ALSO |
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