France Test-Fires Ballistic Missile

France has test-fired a full-scale, unarmed version of its M-51 ballistic missile, Aviation Week and Space Technology reported Monday (see GSN, Sept. 12, 2002).

The missile was fired from an underwater launcher near a French naval base at Toulon. French officials hoped to use the test to measure the missile’s performance before breaching the water’s surface.

The M-51 ICBM is scheduled to enter service around 2010, according to Aviation Week (Patricia Parmalee, Aviation Week and Space Technology, Jan. 5).

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