French A-Bomber lor Service Soon

Press, Volume CII, Issue 30270, 24 October 1963, Page 17

French A-Bomber lor Service Soon

(N.ZJ’.A.-Reuter—CopyngM) PARIS, October 22. France’s Mirage IV aircraft, equipped with atomic bombs, would go into service this year, the Minister of the Armed Forces (Mr Pierre Messmer) today told the National Assembly’s Defence Commission.

"Studies relating to the sec-ond-generation nuclear force are going on in very satisfactory fashion,’* commission sources quoted him as saying. The “second - generation" striking force is to supersede the aircraft-borne atomic bomb force when France has hydrogen bomba, missiles and nucelar submarines at her disposal in a few years time. A week ago the Minister of Information (Mr Alain Peyrefltte) said that “France has begun to provide herself with an operational nuclear force.” This was regarded as the first official admission that the first atomic bombs and the aircraft to carry them have reached the French Air Force.

Mr Peyrefltte declined to give the number of plane* or bomb*.

It is believed in usuallywell informed circles the Air Force has so far taken delivery of only a small number of Mirage I Vs in their final form—possibly no more than two—with their corresponding bombs, and that initial mass production of these planes is under way. Full mass production is expected at the end of this year or early next year to provide the first 50 Mirage IVs and make possible their official entry into service. The Armed Force* minister told the Defence Commission that 3686 million francs of the 1964 military Budget of 19,874 million francs would go to equipping the nuclear striking force.