France drills nuclear deterrence, sends signal to Russia

During the night, France carried out a large-scale exercise involving around 40 aircraft, including Rafale and Mirage 2000 fighters, AWACS aircraft, and A330 MRTT tankers. The scenario simulated a nuclear strike mission conducted in a degraded environment, with disrupted communications and strong enemy air defence pressure.

A key element of the exercise was operating against advanced air defence systems, including those modelled on Russian S-400 systems. This demonstrates that French nuclear deterrence is being tested in realistic scenarios involving a technologically capable adversary. In practice, the primary audience of this demonstration is Russia.

The exercise is part of the broader concept of “advanced deterrence” presented by President Emmanuel Macron. For the first time, France is opening the possibility for European partners to participate in elements of its deterrence framework. So far, practical involvement has been limited to the United Kingdom, but interest from Central and Eastern European countries, Nordic states, and Greece is clearly growing.

For these countries, participation in such exercises is crucial. It enhances interoperability and, more importantly, provides a practical understanding of nuclear deterrence. France is not sharing decision-making authority over nuclear weapons, but it is beginning to share the ability to demonstrate deterrence.

Paris is therefore shaping a new model of deterrence in Europe – without formal nuclear sharing, but with increasing involvement of partners. In the current security environment, this signals one thing: France is preparing to credibly deter Russia.