# France grows a pair. French President Makes Nuclear Weapons Threat. **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [February 28, 2006, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/france-grows-a-pair-french-president-makes-nuclear-weapons-threat/346452 "2006-02-28T14:29:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Inigo\_Montoya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inigo_montoya/32/124_2.png) [@Inigo\_Montoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inigo_Montoya)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2006, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/france-grows-a-pair-french-president-makes-nuclear-weapons-threat/346452/21 "2006-03-01T13:41:44Z")
We’ve secretly replaced Jacques Chirac’s 482 nuclear warheads with 300 kg blocks of extra ripe Langres–let’s see if Iran notices! ---
**Author:** ![ralph124c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8797f3/32.png) [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2006, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/france-grows-a-pair-french-president-makes-nuclear-weapons-threat/346452/22 "2006-03-01T14:13:27Z")
Where do the french TESt their submarine-launched missiles? the US Navy “TRIDENT” SBMs undergo regular test firings-they usually launch from off the Florida coast to a point of impact in the South Atlantic 9usually near fernandode Noronha Island). I’ve never heard to a french test launch-so how is Chirac sure that his ;’ force de frappe" will go off as intended? ---
**Author:** ![Sevastopol](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cdc98d/32.png) [@Sevastopol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sevastopol)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2006, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/france-grows-a-pair-french-president-makes-nuclear-weapons-threat/346452/23 "2006-03-01T14:25:11Z")
> [@ralph124c](#): > > Where do the french TESt their submarine-launched missiles? the US Navy “TRIDENT” SBMs undergo regular test firings-they usually launch from off the Florida coast to a point of impact in the South Atlantic 9usually near fernandode Noronha Island). I’ve never heard to a french test launch-so how is Chirac sure that his ;’ force de frappe" will go off as intended? This must be a whoosh? You’ve never heard of French nuclear testing? No way! ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2006, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/france-grows-a-pair-french-president-makes-nuclear-weapons-threat/346452/24 "2006-03-01T14:43:50Z")
> [@ralph124c](#): > > Where do the french TESt their submarine-launched missiles? the US Navy “TRIDENT” SBMs undergo regular test firings-they usually launch from off the Florida coast to a point of impact in the South Atlantic 9usually near fernandode Noronha Island). I’ve never heard to a french test launch-so how is Chirac sure that his ;’ force de frappe" will go off as intended? It was because of the [Rainbow Warrior’s Protesting a French test,](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rainbow_Warrior) that the French sank her up. > [@wiki](#): > > French nuclear testing at Mururoa Atoll in the Tuamotu Archipelago of French Polynesia. During previous nuclear tests at Mururoa, protest ships had been boarded by French commandos after trespassing into the shipping exclusion zone around the atoll. For the 1985 tests, Greenpeace intended to monitor the impact of nuclear tests and place protesters on the island to do this, in violation of the law. The French Government infiltrated the Canada based organisation and discovered these plans. Jim ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2006, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/france-grows-a-pair-french-president-makes-nuclear-weapons-threat/346452/25 "2006-03-01T14:52:56Z")
I think the nuclear sabre rattling is more a reflection of France’s decline in conventional military power. Absent a strong force projection capability, all you’ve really got for a threat is your nuclear arsenal. France still has some force projection, but it’s a mere shadow of what it used to be. ---
**Author:** ![ralph124c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8797f3/32.png) [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2006, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/france-grows-a-pair-french-president-makes-nuclear-weapons-threat/346452/26 "2006-03-01T14:55:50Z")
I should have mentioned/clarified the point: the US navy tests the missle 9not the warhead). Has the french navy fired their missiles in similar tests? I think the french SLBMs have a range of about 2000 nautical miles, so if they wanted, they could hit tehran from the mediterranean sea [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/france-grows-a-pair-french-president-makes-nuclear-weapons-threat/346452.md?page=1)