M51 strategic ballistic missile
France has a sovereign, exclusively defensive deterrent force, designed to prevent any attempt to attack its vital interests. There are two components to the French deterrence, one airborne and one naval. The naval component is the Strategic Oceanic Force (FOST) which ensures that French nuclear ballistic missile submarines (SSBNs) maintain a permanent patrol presence. These submarines carry the M51 intercontinental missile system for which ArianeGroup is prime industrial contractor on behalf of the French Defence Procurement Agency (DGA) for the French Navy.
M51 missile: a space technology concentrate
The M51 sea–surface submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) is a solid-propellant propulsion three-stage launcher, with a total mass of over 50 metric tons, and a length of 12 metres. Each of the FOST’s SSBNs is equipped with 16 missiles, capable of carrying their payload over an intercontinental distance of several thousand kilometres.
Launched from a submerged submarine, the M51 travels through the Earth’s atmosphere into space, reaching an altitude of more than 2,000 kilometres, well beyond low-Earth orbit (LEO). It then re-enters the atmosphere at a speed of 20,000 km/h (Mach 20). The M51 is a concentrate of space technologies combining power, precision and reliability. As the credibility of deterrence depends on its permanent availability, complete system readiness is required at all times.
ArianeGroup: prime contractor for the M51 system
ArianeGroup’s activities as industrial prime contractor for the M51 missile system on behalf of DGA cover the programme’s entire lifecycle, including upstream studies, development, production and through-life support and maintaining operational readiness, to dismantling the systems when they are decommissioned.
ArianeGroup ensures permanent readiness of the missile system on board the French Navy submarines and at France’s Île Longue operational naval base in Brest. Our activities cover the missile itself, integration and testing facilities, operations at the naval base for embarkation on board the submarines, and control/command on board the SSBNs.
Fifth generation of ballistic missiles
Commissioned at the end of 2010, the M51 is the fifth generation of French ballistic missiles. The missile is developed in increments to enable it to respond effectively to changes in the geostrategic context and France’s requirements. This means that ArianeGroup, which is Europe’s only company with the capability to design and produce a strategic missile, must without fail stay at the cutting edge of technology and maintain its performance at the highest level.
The M51.2 is the current in-service version. It will be succeeded by the M51.3 version which successfully carried out its qualification flight without a nuclear warhead from the DGA’s Landes Ballistic Launch Base (BLB) at Biscarrosse, south-west France. Test-firing drills without nuclear warhead take place regularly, either from the ground at the BLB testing range or from a SSBN at sea.
Duality and expertise
Duality is a crucial factor of credibility and performance for launch systems. At ArianeGroup, the civil and defence programmes share technologies, skills and project management and production methods – and are subject to the same rigorous level of constant attention throughout the entire life cycle. The nature of their equipment differs, but the two launch systems Ariane and M51 have many common aspects, notably multi-stage composition, solid-propellant propulsion, atmospheric exit and great precision of flight path and payload positioning.
At ArianeGroup, around 3,000 people are working for defence and civil protection. The M51 programme depends on their expertise, together with the know-how and technological skills of around 900 French industrial companies, including 400 SMEs, based all over France.
