French fighter jets equipped with new generation hypersonic nuclear missiles will be stationed by the German border to renew France's airborne nuclear deterrent, President Emmanuel Macron has declared. During a visit yesterday to Luxeuil-Saint-Sauveur airbase in northeast France, Macron told aircrews their base will soon receive a squadron of Rafale F5s - the latest evolution of France's premier fighter jet that is expected to enter service in 2030. The jets will be equipped with the ASN4G - a nuclear hypersonic cruise missile currently under development that will reportedly fly at more than 5,000mph with double the range of France's current air-launched nuclear weapons . Macron said the government had earmarked more than €1.5 billion to transform Luxeuil - a famed World War One airbase just 80km from Germany - into one of the nation's most advanced military facilities.

French fighter jets equipped with new generation hypersonic nuclear missiles will be stationed by the German border to renew France’s airborne nuclear deterrent, President Emmanuel Macron has declared. During a visit yesterday to Luxeuil-Saint-Sauveur airbase in northeast France, Macron told aircrews their base will soon receive a squadron of Rafale F5s – the latest evolution of France’s premier fighter jet that is expected to enter service in 2030. The jets will be equipped with the ASN4G – a nuclear hypersonic cruise missile currently under development that will reportedly fly at more than 5,000mph with double the range of France’s current air-launched nuclear weapons . Macron said the government had earmarked more than €1.5 billion to transform Luxeuil – a famed World War One airbase just 80km from Germany – into one of the nation’s most advanced military facilities.

Rafale F5s equipped with the next-gen nuclear hypersonic missiles would be ready for deployment at the base by 2035, he said to a crowd of Air Force pilots and officers outside their hangars. The push to renovate Luxeuil comes as France's President calls for Europe to rearm in the face of Russia 's aggression in Ukraine and America's wavering commitment to upholding European security under Donald Trump. Macron has initiated a doubling of the French defense budget over the course of his two terms and recently set an even higher target, saying the country should increase defense spending to 3-3.5% of economic output from the current 2%.

Rafale F5s equipped with the next-gen nuclear hypersonic missiles would be ready for deployment at the base by 2035, he said to a crowd of Air Force pilots and officers outside their hangars. The push to renovate Luxeuil comes as France’s President calls for Europe to rearm in the face of Russia ‘s aggression in Ukraine and America’s wavering commitment to upholding European security under Donald Trump. Macron has initiated a doubling of the French defense budget over the course of his two terms and recently set an even higher target, saying the country should increase defense spending to 3-3.5% of economic output from the current 2%.

He has also offered to extend the protection of France's nuclear weapons, the so-called nuclear umbrella, to other European countries. 'We haven't waited for 2022 or the turning point we're seeing right now to discover that the world we live in is ever more dangerous, ever more uncertain, and that it implies to innovate, to bulk up and to become more autonomous,' he said yesterday. 'I will announce in the coming weeks new investments to go further than what was done over the past seven years,' he said, adding that the government would order additional Rafale warplanes from French aerospace manufacturer Dassault Aviation to replace aging Mirage fighter jets - some of which were sent to Ukraine.

He has also offered to extend the protection of France’s nuclear weapons, the so-called nuclear umbrella, to other European countries. ‘We haven’t waited for 2022 or the turning point we’re seeing right now to discover that the world we live in is ever more dangerous, ever more uncertain, and that it implies to innovate, to bulk up and to become more autonomous,’ he said yesterday. ‘I will announce in the coming weeks new investments to go further than what was done over the past seven years,’ he said, adding that the government would order additional Rafale warplanes from French aerospace manufacturer Dassault Aviation to replace aging Mirage fighter jets – some of which were sent to Ukraine.

Macron's speech to aircrews at Luxeuil came as the German parliament approved a plan set forth by Chancellor-in-waiting Friedrich Merz for a massive spending surge in hopes of reviving economic growth and scaling up military spending. After the global financial crisis of 2008, Germany imposed a so-called 'debt brake' that dramatically restricted government borrowing. But the move, long seen as an important economic backstop, came under criticism in recent months amid fears that it would prevent Germany from adequately increasing its defense spending.

Macron’s speech to aircrews at Luxeuil came as the German parliament approved a plan set forth by Chancellor-in-waiting Friedrich Merz for a massive spending surge in hopes of reviving economic growth and scaling up military spending. After the global financial crisis of 2008, Germany imposed a so-called ‘debt brake’ that dramatically restricted government borrowing. But the move, long seen as an important economic backstop, came under criticism in recent months amid fears that it would prevent Germany from adequately increasing its defense spending.

Trump's return to the White House in January forced European leaders into a dramatic rethink of their long-term defense strategy and the EU is now embarking on a campaign of rearmament to decrease its reliance on US protection. Now, Merz's conservatives and Scholz's Social Democrats (SPD) - who are in talks to form a centrist coalition after last month's election - want to remove the debt brake and create a €500 billion fund to improve Germany's infrastructure and supercharge its defense industrial base. 'We have for at least a decade felt a false sense of security,' Merz told lawmakers ahead of the vote yesterday. 'The decision we are taking today on defense readiness... can be nothing less than the first major step towards a new European defense community,' he said.

Trump’s return to the White House in January forced European leaders into a dramatic rethink of their long-term defense strategy and the EU is now embarking on a campaign of rearmament to decrease its reliance on US protection. Now, Merz’s conservatives and Scholz’s Social Democrats (SPD) – who are in talks to form a centrist coalition after last month’s election – want to remove the debt brake and create a €500 billion fund to improve Germany’s infrastructure and supercharge its defense industrial base. ‘We have for at least a decade felt a false sense of security,’ Merz told lawmakers ahead of the vote yesterday. ‘The decision we are taking today on defense readiness… can be nothing less than the first major step towards a new European defense community,’ he said.

The legislation still has to go to the Bundesrat upper house for another vote, but is expected to pass. In the wake of the Bundestag voting through the spending plan, Merz declared simply: 'Germany is back.' The vote was also met with widespread praise from European allies, including Macron who delivered a joint press conference with outgoing German Chancellor Olaf Scholz after visiting Luxeuil. 'I want to congratulate you on the Bundestag's historic vote, which is good news for Germany and good news for Europe, because it will enable it to do more for defence and investment,' he told reporters. Scholz, speaking alongside Macron, said that by 'strengthening the European pillar of NATO, we will strengthen the transatlantic alliance as a whole'. And European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the Bundestag's green-lighting of the spending package was 'excellent news because it sends a very clear message also to Europe that Germany is determined to invest massively in defense'.

The legislation still has to go to the Bundesrat upper house for another vote, but is expected to pass. In the wake of the Bundestag voting through the spending plan, Merz declared simply: ‘Germany is back.’ The vote was also met with widespread praise from European allies, including Macron who delivered a joint press conference with outgoing German Chancellor Olaf Scholz after visiting Luxeuil. ‘I want to congratulate you on the Bundestag’s historic vote, which is good news for Germany and good news for Europe, because it will enable it to do more for defence and investment,’ he told reporters. Scholz, speaking alongside Macron, said that by ‘strengthening the European pillar of NATO, we will strengthen the transatlantic alliance as a whole’. And European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the Bundestag’s green-lighting of the spending package was ‘excellent news because it sends a very clear message also to Europe that Germany is determined to invest massively in defense’.

Earlier this month at an emergency summit of European leaders in Brussels, Macron invited his EU counterparts and defense chiefs to explore the possibility of France extending its nuclear protection abroad. The notion was heavily criticized by Russia, but several top European officials appeared interested by Macron's offering, including Germany's Merz. However, analysts warn that Europe ' needs to be on par with Russia's 1,550 strategic warheads' should America withdraw its so-called nuclear blanket , and the two European nuclear powers - France and Britain - must overcome significant challenges if they are to strengthen their faltering nuclear deterrent. NATO's nuclear capability is heavily reliant on the US, which possesses the world's second largest stockpile of operational nuclear warheads. According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), the US has more than 3,700 operational warheads, though fewer than half are actively deployed.

Earlier this month at an emergency summit of European leaders in Brussels, Macron invited his EU counterparts and defense chiefs to explore the possibility of France extending its nuclear protection abroad. The notion was heavily criticized by Russia, but several top European officials appeared interested by Macron’s offering, including Germany’s Merz. However, analysts warn that Europe ‘ needs to be on par with Russia’s 1,550 strategic warheads’ should America withdraw its so-called nuclear blanket , and the two European nuclear powers – France and Britain – must overcome significant challenges if they are to strengthen their faltering nuclear deterrent. NATO’s nuclear capability is heavily reliant on the US, which possesses the world’s second largest stockpile of operational nuclear warheads. According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), the US has more than 3,700 operational warheads, though fewer than half are actively deployed.

Several hundred of these are stationed across Europe, primarily in Germany, Italy, and the Netherlands, as part of NATO's deterrence posture. But Washington retains ultimate control over the use of these weapons. Any suggestion that the US could withdraw support from NATO is therefore a serious cause for concern for European defense chiefs, who fear their nuclear capabilities could be effectively erased in a matter of weeks. When American weapons are removed from the equation, there are only NATO member states that have a nuclear arsenal of their own - Britain and France. According to SIPRI, the UK has some 225 warheads at its disposal, but only 40 of these are ready to deploy at any one time. France has a slightly larger stockpile of around 290. By contrast, Russia commands a vast nuclear arsenal exceeding 5,000 warheads, with at least 1,550 strategic warheads deployed under the terms of the New START treaty.

Several hundred of these are stationed across Europe, primarily in Germany, Italy, and the Netherlands, as part of NATO’s deterrence posture. But Washington retains ultimate control over the use of these weapons. Any suggestion that the US could withdraw support from NATO is therefore a serious cause for concern for European defense chiefs, who fear their nuclear capabilities could be effectively erased in a matter of weeks. When American weapons are removed from the equation, there are only NATO member states that have a nuclear arsenal of their own – Britain and France. According to SIPRI, the UK has some 225 warheads at its disposal, but only 40 of these are ready to deploy at any one time. France has a slightly larger stockpile of around 290. By contrast, Russia commands a vast nuclear arsenal exceeding 5,000 warheads, with at least 1,550 strategic warheads deployed under the terms of the New START treaty.

However, Putin suspended Moscow's participation in the treaty in 2023, raising concerns that even more warheads could be activated at a moment's notice. Analysts from the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) conclude that, as things stand, 'the French and British nuclear forces are a complement to US extended deterrence... they would not constitute a viable solution in the event of an abrupt withdrawal of US nuclear forces.' Clearly, Europe's nuclear stockpile pales in comparison to that of Moscow. But it is not just the size of the proverbial stick that poses a problem. Europe's ability to swing it is also significantly reduced. Unlike the US, which spent decades constructing a vast nuclear infrastructure spanning land, sea, and air, Europe's nuclear forces suffer from major logistical constraints. France's 290 warheads are split between sea and air-based platforms.  The majority are deployed aboard its fleet of nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines (SSBNs), while around 50 are mounted on cruise missiles that can be launched by French bombers. Pictured: An unarmed Trident II D5LE missile launches from the Ohio-class ballistic missile submarine USS Wyoming (SSBN 742) off the coast of Cape Canaveral.

However, Putin suspended Moscow’s participation in the treaty in 2023, raising concerns that even more warheads could be activated at a moment’s notice. Analysts from the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) conclude that, as things stand, ‘the French and British nuclear forces are a complement to US extended deterrence… they would not constitute a viable solution in the event of an abrupt withdrawal of US nuclear forces.’ Clearly, Europe’s nuclear stockpile pales in comparison to that of Moscow. But it is not just the size of the proverbial stick that poses a problem. Europe’s ability to swing it is also significantly reduced. Unlike the US, which spent decades constructing a vast nuclear infrastructure spanning land, sea, and air, Europe’s nuclear forces suffer from major logistical constraints. France’s 290 warheads are split between sea and air-based platforms.  The majority are deployed aboard its fleet of nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines (SSBNs), while around 50 are mounted on cruise missiles that can be launched by French bombers. Pictured: An unarmed Trident II D5LE missile launches from the Ohio-class ballistic missile submarine USS Wyoming (SSBN 742) off the coast of Cape Canaveral.

The UK, however, relies solely on its four Vanguard-class SSBNs to deploy its warheads, and of the 225 at Westminster's disposal, only 40 are ready to launch at any one time. Neither country has any land-based nuclear missile silos, and France's air-launched nuclear weapons are all stationed with planes at domestic airfields. This dramatically restricts Europe's ability to project nuclear force and its ability to react effectively in a crisis situation. Compounding these limitations is Britain's reliance on American technology. The UK purchases its Trident missiles from the US, and depends on Washington's support for maintenance and upgrades. As nuclear weapons expert Norman Dombey put it: 'Britain's independent nuclear deterrent is neither British nor independent.' 'Both its missiles and its warheads are dependent on the US and US design.' This uncomfortable reality raises serious questions about how reliable the UK's deterrent would actually be in a crisis, particularly if Washington's commitment to European security continues to wane. Pictured: HMS Artful an Astute-class nuclear-powered fleet submarine is maneuvered at His Majesty's Naval Base Clyde on March 04, 2025 in Faslane, Scotland.

The UK, however, relies solely on its four Vanguard-class SSBNs to deploy its warheads, and of the 225 at Westminster’s disposal, only 40 are ready to launch at any one time. Neither country has any land-based nuclear missile silos, and France’s air-launched nuclear weapons are all stationed with planes at domestic airfields. This dramatically restricts Europe’s ability to project nuclear force and its ability to react effectively in a crisis situation. Compounding these limitations is Britain’s reliance on American technology. The UK purchases its Trident missiles from the US, and depends on Washington’s support for maintenance and upgrades. As nuclear weapons expert Norman Dombey put it: ‘Britain’s independent nuclear deterrent is neither British nor independent.’ ‘Both its missiles and its warheads are dependent on the US and US design.’ This uncomfortable reality raises serious questions about how reliable the UK’s deterrent would actually be in a crisis, particularly if Washington’s commitment to European security continues to wane. Pictured: HMS Artful an Astute-class nuclear-powered fleet submarine is maneuvered at His Majesty’s Naval Base Clyde on March 04, 2025 in Faslane, Scotland.

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