French President Emmanuel Macron oversaw the first test launch of the third-generation M51 sea-to-land strategic ballistic missile on Tuesday morning, 6 October 2026, from a submarine off France’s western coast, according to the French presidency and Defence Ministry.
Macron follows naval missile test
Macron watched the launch of the intercontinental missile from aboard a frigate belonging to the French Navy. The President’s observation of the naval test coincided with the launch from the submarine in waters off the country’s west coast.
The French Defence Ministry said in a statement that the missile tested was the third version of the M51, a strategic missile capable of carrying a nuclear warhead. It said this version had entered service a year before the test launch.
The ministry confirmed that the missile was “without its nuclear payload” during the test. It added that it fell in the North Atlantic, at a point hundreds of kilometres from any coast, after being launched from the submarine under the supervision of the French President, who followed the launch from the naval frigate.
