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.

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