British jets join French nuclear exercise for first time, France says
British jets escorted French Rafales in a simulated nuclear strike as Paris and London deepen deterrence cooperation amid rising security concerns.
- On Tuesday, British RAF Typhoons participated in a French nuclear deterrence exercise for the first time, simulating a nuclear strike over the Mediterranean alongside French Rafales.
- France and the United Kingdom agreed in July 2025 to reinforce nuclear cooperation, responding to growing threats to Europe and uncertainty regarding the United States.
- French jets took off from the Saint-Dizier air base in the exercise called 'Rummy,' with British fighters escorting them. Armed Forces Minister Catherine Vautrin said cooperation 'continues to deepen.'
- British Defence Secretary Wes Streeting stated the two nations stand together in commitment to European security, warning adversaries while reassuring allies in an increasingly dangerous world.
- France maintains 290 weapons costing $6.04 billion annually, while Britain possesses 225 warheads. The United States and Russia each retain more than 5,000 nuclear weapons.
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36 Articles
The British and French air forces held their first-ever joint military exercise simulating a nuclear strike in October. The maneuvers, codenamed “Rummy,” took place over the Mediterranean Sea and involved British RAF Typhoon fighters and French Rafale fighter jets.
The aim of the exercise was to improve cooperation between the two nuclear powers of Western Europe.
British Typhoon fighter aircraft, together with French Rafale aircraft, conducted joint exercises of nuclear deterrence forces, declared on Friday French Minister of the Armed Forces Catherine Votin. "The first Typhoon fighter aircraft of the Royal Air Force, together with the Rafale fighter aircraft of the French Air Force, took part in exercises organized by our strategic air force," she wrote on social network X.
(London=Yonhap News) Correspondent Kim Ji-yeon = The UK and France, two Western European nuclear powers, conducted a joint aerial nuclear exercise for the first time, deploying fighter jets from both nations.
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