France has test-fired an upgraded nuclear-capable ballistic missile, several months after pledging to expand its nuclear weapons program amid worsening tensions with Russia. The M51.3 missile was not equipped with a nuclear warhead when it was fired from France's Le Vigilant submarine off the coast of Brittany, western France, the French government said. France is one of three NATO members with nuclear weapons, with nine states across the globe believed to possess nuclear warheads.
Paris is the only nuclear power in the European Union, and has the world's fourth-largest nuclear arsenal, with an estimated 290 nuclear warheads. French President Emmanuel Macron said in March France would increase its number of nuclear weapons for the first time in decades. "This technical success is a new demonstration of the credibility of our deterrence," Macron said in a statement on Tuesday.
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