Paris, October 23: France and the United Kingdom have carried out a joint airborne nuclear-strike exercise for the first time, with Royal Air Force Eurofighter Typhoon jets escorting French Rafale jets on a simulated nuclear-strike mission, the French Armed Forces Ministry said in a statement on Friday, Defense News reported.
Source: Defense News
The mission, Exercise Rummy, was flown on Tuesday evening over the Mediterranean Sea. The French Rafales, operating with France's Strategic Air Forces, took off from a base in northeastern France — identified in reports as Saint-Dizier — and performed the simulated strike while escorted by the RAF Typhoons. Both ministries said the exercise involved no actual nuclear weapons and followed established security procedures, according to the joint statement reported by Alliance News via Morningstar (AFP).
Source: Morningstar / Alliance News (AFP)
French Armed Forces Minister Catherine Vautrin said: "Having independent nuclear forces doesn't exclude coordination," adding that by coordinating, the two countries' nuclear forces can contribute more significantly to the security of the alliance and to peace and stability in the Euro-Atlantic zone. British Defence Secretary Wes Streeting said the exercise marks a new chapter in the relationship between Britain and France on nuclear defence and demonstrates the credibility of their deterrents.
Source: Defense News
The drill puts into practice the Northwood Declaration signed by France and Britain in July 2025, which set out a framework for closer nuclear cooperation and coordination between Europe's only two nuclear-armed states. France is working with European allies on a concept of "forward deterrence" amid uncertainty around United States security guarantees for Europe in the face of Russia's war in Ukraine, Defense News reported.
Source: Defense News
Both France and the United Kingdom operate ballistic-missile submarines as a nuclear deterrent. France also has an airborne component — Rafale jets carrying nuclear-tipped cruise missiles — which the United Kingdom lacks, reports noted. Press TV's report of the French announcement carried the same details of the Tuesday-evening mission and the ministers' statements.