According to Agence France Presse on November 18th, the French Ministry of Defense announced in a communique that France tested an M51.3 strategic ballistic missile without a nuclear warhead in the southwestern region of Lande on the 18th. French Defense Minister Sebastian Le Corney celebrated on social media platform X: "The first successful test launch of the M51.3 strategic ballistic missile!" He continued, "This development continues the credibility of our nuclear deterrence force and demonstrates the excellence of our launcher department." According to the Ministry of Defense's bulletin, the test launch was carried out by the French Armaments Agency. The M51.3 missile will help maintain the credibility of our sea based deterrence in the coming decades. The communique emphasized that "the missile was tracked by the testing facilities of the French Armament Agency throughout the entire flight phase. The crash zone is located in the North Atlantic, several hundred kilometers from any coast. This test was conducted without a nuclear warhead and strictly complies with the international commitments made by France