"Military Andi Wei Face" by Mecha 888
▲ France's development of the ASM4G new generation of air-launched nuclear cruise missile supporting the lea hypersonic flight body model diagram (picture from: network)
As one of the world's legal nuclear-armed countries, France has always attached great importance to improving its own nuclear weapons performance indicators, and many nuclear weapons developed are very distinctive. For example, its air-launched nuclear cruise missile is a typical example of this.
▲ France's currently used asmp-a air-launched nuclear cruise missile can be carried by the "Rafale" series fighters (image from: network)
Unlike the United States and Russia, which mainly use subsonic air-launched nuclear cruise missiles, france's current use of air-launched nuclear cruise missiles is the main feature of fast flight speed. In terms of the most advanced air-launched nuclear cruise missile asmp-a equipped by France at present, it is generally carried and launched by the French "Rafale" series fighters, using the common "inertial guidance + terrain matching guidance" guidance system on cruise missiles, the missile itself is generally equipped with a 300,000 tons of tnt explosion equivalent thermonuclear warhead, and also has the ability to use conventional warheads, and is equipped with an integral rocket ramjet engine, with a range of up to 500 kilometers. Flying speeds up to Mach 4. Therefore, from the analysis of the actual flight speed of the French asmp-a air-launched nuclear cruise missile, it is a serious air-launched supersonic nuclear cruise missile.
▲ French asmp-a air-launched nuclear cruise missile currently possesses penetration capabilities that may not be effective in the future (Picture from: Network)
However, although the ASMP-A air-launched nuclear cruise missile has a relatively fast flight speed and has a certain degree of stealth and maneuverability to change orbit and penetrate the defense capabilities, in the face of the continuous progress of the world's air defense and anti-missile technology, especially in the case of Russia, the rapid replacement of France's main traditional potential opponents in air defense and anti-missile equipment has also made the penetration effectiveness of the ASMP-A air-launched nuclear cruise missile itself largely constrained in possible future actual combat. In order to continue to ensure its reliable nuclear strike and deterrence capabilities, France will inevitably need to equip it with a more advanced air-launched nuclear missile in the future.
▲The shape of the asm4G new generation of air-launched nuclear cruise missile developed by France is imagined (picture from: network)
In order to meet such a strategic need, France began to develop a next-generation air-launched nuclear cruise missile called asm4G. The ASM4G air-launched nuclear cruise missile, also known as the "Prometheus" air-launched nuclear cruise missile, is still designed to highlight the characteristics of fast flight speed, and can still be carried by the "Rafale" series fighters or the next generation of more advanced French fighters in the future, however, unlike the current ASMP-a air-launched nuclear cruise missile, the ASM4G air-launched nuclear cruise missile uses a more advanced rocket boost plus a super-fueled ramjet engine power combination, and at the same time, Therefore, the ASM4G air-launched nuclear cruise missile is essentially an air-launched hypersonic nuclear cruise missile, which is said to have a maximum flight speed of Mach 6 during wind tunnel testing and has a range performance of up to 1,000 km, and will use a new guidance system equipped with a least alpha-supersonic flight body equipped with a certain equivalent nuclear warhead and the ability to replace the conventional warhead.
▲ France developed asm4G new generation of air-launched nuclear cruise missile shape flight status image (picture from: network)
In this way, the technical indicators of the French ASM4G air-launched nuclear cruise missile have the ability to surpass the ASMP-A air-launched nuclear cruise missile, and at the same time, it will become the strongest air-launched cruise missile in Europe in the future. In particular, because the ASM4G air-launched nuclear cruise missile is an air-launched hypersonic nuclear cruise missile, its supersonic speed and orbit-changing mobile penetration capability have also reached a higher level, so that it can achieve the purpose of making it difficult for opponents to intercept. Thus, once France can make the ASM4G air-launched nuclear cruise missile initial combat effective by 2035 as planned, it can raise its nuclear strike and deterrence capabilities to a better level.