M 4 (MSBS)
The M 4 were French ballistic nuclear missiles that were stationed on submarines . The three-stage solid rocket was a completely new development and is technically not related to its predecessor. The first flight took place in November 1980. A further 13 land-based test starts followed by 1984. The rockets, which are almost twice as heavy as their predecessors of the M 20 type , were put into service in 1985 together with the L'Inflexible (S 615) .
With the exception of Le Redoutable (S 611) , all submarines of the Redoutable class were then converted for the use of the new missiles.
In addition to the three-stage concept, the decisive difference to the older French nuclear submarine missiles is that multiple warheads (MIRV) were used for the first time. The missiles were no longer armed with a single warhead , but had six autonomous warheads. The TN-71 warheads each had an atomic force of 150 kT.
The M 4 was built in two versions:
- The M 4A had a flight range of 4,000 km. 16 missiles were built.
- The M 4B had a flight range of 5,000 km. 48 missiles were built.
As a successor, the M 45 was introduced in 1997 together with the new Triomphant class submarines . The missiles carry six TN-75 warheads of 100 kT each. The most important innovations of the 6,000 km long range missiles are an increased resistance to electronic countermeasures , an increased insensitivity to EMP and stealth properties of the re-entry bodies.
At the beginning of the 1990s, it was decided to develop the M 5 as the successor to the M4 missiles. The 11,000 km ICBM was simplified for cost reasons and developed back to the M 51 . The first test flight of an M 51 was successfully carried out on November 9, 2006.
The M 4 missiles are no longer in service.
Technical specifications
| Parameter | Data |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | Aérospatiale |
| country | France |
| length | 11 m |
| diameter | 1.92 m |
| Weight | 36,000 kg |
| Range | 4,000 km (M 4B: 5,000 km) |
| drive | three-stage solid rocket motor |
| control | Inertial navigation |
| Warheads | 6 nuclear autonomous warheads TN-71 â 150 kT |
Web links
literature
- Chris Chant: Modern submarines technology-tactics-armament , Motorbuchverlag, Stuttgart, 1st edition 2005, ISBN 3-7276-7150-5
