France, the only nuclear-armed nation in the European Union, has decided to strengthen nuclear deterrence for itself and the rest of the continent amid rifts in the transatlantic alliance caused by US President Donald Trump’s threat to abandon the NATO Alliance.
France announced on March 18 plans to establish a fourth base that will host the nuclear-capable Rafale fighter jets.
The Luxeuil-St Sauveur Air Base, which is in the east of the country, will house two squadrons or about 40 fighter jets of the latest F5 variant of the Rafale combat aircraft.
Accompanied by Defense Minister Sébastien Lecornu on a visit to the Luxeuil-St Sauveur Air Base, President Macron said: “To come here [to Luxeuil-St Sauveur Air Base] is to go to the sources of our combat aviation and our nuclear deterrence, a history where the defense of our country and the permanent evolution of the [French] Air and Space Force are intimately intertwined.”
French President Emmanuel Macron made the announcements while in Luxeuil, which is known locally as Base Aérienne 116.
According to reports, the base will become a nuclear-capable site and host the new ASN4G hypersonic missile by 2035. The F5 will carry the ASN4G munition, a nuclear-armed scramjet-powered hypersonic missile that will replace the ASMP supersonic nuclear stand-off missile currently carried by Rafale.
The Rafale F5 variant, also called the ‘Super Rafale,’ is currently under development and is regarded as the most advanced variant of the aircraft conceptualized to date.
The chief of manufacturer Dassault Aviation, Eric Trappier, recently stated that the “F5 variant of Rafale will have more powerful engines, improved survivability, and data links, and will be accompanied by an unmanned combat air vehicle (UCAV) weighing more than 10t.” The aircraft is currently under development and is expected to enter service starting in 2030.
The French Air and Space Forces currently have three nuclear weapons bases, including Saint-Dizier-Robinson Air Base, Avord Air Base, and Istres-Le Tubé Air Base. In fact, the Luxeuil-St Sauveur Air Base hosted nuclear weapons for decades before the Rafales were relocated to another facility in 2011. The base will now see an investment of about 1.5 billion euros or about US$1.6 billion.
Notably, the 40 Rafale F5 aircraft that are to be based at Luxeuil would be in addition to the 42 Rafale F4 aircraft ordered by France for €5 billion (US$5.46 billion) in January 2024. The delivery of the F4 variant is expected to begin in 2027.
The French president also announced that the country will increase its orders for Rafale fighter jets as part of European efforts to strengthen defenses in the event that the United States reduces its presence or, worse, leaves the continent. “I want to tell you that the Air and Space Force will receive additional Rafale orders. This is imperative in the current context—an absolute necessity,” the President said with conviction.
France Is Taking A Lead Amid Cracks In Transatlantic Alliance
It is pertinent to note that France is spearheading a joint European defense alliance amid growing uncertainty regarding the future role of the United States in European security under US President Donald Trump.
US President Donald Trump whipped up a controversy when he threatened to abandon the security commitments to the NATO alliance, stating that the member countries were not spending enough. “I think it’s common sense. If they don’t pay, I’m not going to defend them,” Trump said.
Though cracks in the Transatlantic started showing when Trump assumed office as President in January 2025, they became more pronounced when he unilaterally suspended military aid to Ukraine after a bitter spat with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Though military aid has now been resumed, there is growing concern in Europe that the US President could abandon his allies to further his policies.
Additionally, Trump’s negotiation of a ceasefire with Russia (considered the biggest threat facing Europe by the European countries), coupled with sporadic threats of leaving NATO, have given the impression that the US might not respect Article 5 of NATO, which calls for collective security. Thus leaving Europe to fight Russia on its own.
Against that backdrop, and in a bid to build its own defense against Russia’s threat, Europe has now pledged a defense spending surge. EU leaders joined ranks earlier this month to discuss boosting the bloc’s military capability.
Two countries—France and Germany—have particularly shown initiative in strengthening European defense independent of the United States. Thus, it is interesting to note that the new French nuclear base is located just 200 kilometers from the German border, indicating strategic signaling.
French President Emmanuel Macron says Russia poses an “existential threat” to the rest of Europe. Earlier this month, Macron said that his country is ready to open discussions on extending French nuclear protection to its European allies.
“Our nuclear deterrent protects us: it’s complete, sovereign, French through and through,” Macron said in a televised speech.
According to the Federation of American Scientists (FAS), France possesses an estimated 290 nuclear weapons, making it the fourth largest nuclear arsenal in the world. France’s arsenal includes air-launched cruise missiles carried by long-range bombers and ballistic missiles mounted on its nuclear-powered submarines, which account for about 80% of the nation’s warheads.
The statement was intriguing because the US already has a nuclear-sharing arrangement with NATO allies, with its nuclear weapons stationed across Europe, including in Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, and Belgium. All these states host the B61 family of weapons provided by the US but do not have the authority to use them until ordered by the US.
Currently, apart from Russia, only the UK and France have nuclear weapons in all of Europe. Of these two, only France is part of the European Union, which means its proposal might appeal to other EU states.
In fact, Polish President Andrzej Duda welcomed the idea of extending the French nuclear umbrella over Europe. “It is a gesture showing France’s sense of responsibility for European security, for its allies, including Poland,” said Duda. “Every formula of allied cooperation that increases our security is valuable to us.”
The move was similarly welcomed by Baltic countries, with leaders from Lithuania and Latvia signaling that they would be willing to discuss the idea. Additionally, the incoming German Chancellor Friedrich also said he would reach out to France and Britain to discuss the sharing of nuclear weapons, with the caveat that they would be in addition to the US nukes already present in the country.
Earlier in February, a Telegraph report that cited some unidentified French officials stated, “Posting a few French nuclear jet fighters in Germany should not be difficult and would send a strong message” to Russia.
European worries are not without reason. Since the Ukraine war started in February 2022, Russia has engaged in nuclear brinksmanship on multiple occasions. On some occasions, the Russian state media has run broadcasts threatening European countries with a nuclear strike.
This puts in perspective why France and its allies consider Russia an existential threat and have been left fuming after the US arbitrarily decided to open negotiations with Russia without prior discussions with Europe.
The rift in the Transatlantic is widening. However, whether France’s idea of providing nuclear protection to Europe will succeed remains to be seen.
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