France orders new nuclear weapons

Press, 16 November 1981, Page 8

France orders new nuclear weapons

NZPA-Reuter Paris France’s Socialist Government, determined to strengthen the country’s independent nuclear force, has ordered development of new tactical and strategic missile systems and construction of a seventh nuclear missilefiring submarine. The Defence Minister. (Mr Charles Hernu) announced the new weapons.in a parliamentary debate on the 1982 Budget, which increases defence spending by 17.8 per cent.

A high proportion of the rise will go to the nuclear force.

Mr Hernu said France, taken out of N.A.T.O.’s defence structure by President Charles de Gaulle in 1966, needed to modernise its

nuclear strike force rapidly in order to present a credible deterrent to a potential enemy.

The new systems, approved at a meeting of the National Defence Council headed by President Francois Mitterrand this week, include a land-based mobile missile which will eventually replace the ageing Mirage IV bomber in the French strategic strike force. The new tactical missile will replace the existing Pluto system when it reaches the end of its life, Mr Hernu said.

He gave no further details of the weapons but defence sources said some SNZIO.B million were earmarked next year for development of the new weapon, code-named

Hades, and that it was due. in service in 1992. The French defence forces are studying possible development of enhanced radiation, or neutron, warheads, and yesterday’s newspapers suggested the Hades could eventually be used to deliver such a weapon.

The Defence Minister also announced that France’s seventh nuclear-powered submarine with atomic missiles has been ordered, with a delivery date set in the mid-19905.

The submarine, the first of a new generation, will be armed with new multiple warhead M 5 missiles scheduled to succeed the M 4 system at present under development.