The key element of the French nuclear deterrent : The nuclear-powered and nuclear armed submarines
Lurking in the ocean, undetectable, equipped with 16 missiles each carrying several nuclear warheads, the 4 French nuclrear-powered submarines patrol successively to ensure the…
Lurking in the ocean, undetectable, equipped with 16 missiles each carrying several nuclear warheads, the 4 French nuclrear-powered submarines patrol successively to ensure the permanence at sea of the nuclear deterrent. They are part of the French Strategic Oceanic Force (FOST). The four actual boats are „New Generation“. The story started back in 1967 with the very first of these beasts, Le Redoutable.
In 1954, against the backdrop of the Cold War, the Americans developed the first nuclear-powered submarine, the USS Nautilus. Three years later, the Soviet project saw the light of day with the K-3 Leninski Komsomol submarine. In 1962, President de Gaulle set…