Mell Where did France detonate nukes?
On February 13, 1960, France detonated an atomic bomb from a 105-metre (344-foot) tower in the Sahara in what was then French Algeria.
Where did France conduct its nuclear test?
On 13 February 1960, France conducted its first nuclear test, code-named “Gerboise Bleue” (Blue Desert Rat). The day marked the beginning of a series of four atmospheric nuclear tests at the Reganne Oasis, in the Sahara Desert of Algeria.
Where did France test nuclear weapons in 1985?
Moruroa Atoll
1983–85 French nuclear tests
| 1983–1985 | |
|---|---|
| Information | |
| Country | France |
| Test site | Lagoon, Areas 5-7, Moruroa Atoll; Rim zone, Areas 1-2, Moruroa Atoll |
| Period | 1983–1985 |
Where are most nuclear weapons located?
Here are the locations of nuclear weapons in the United States:
- Naval Base Kitsap (Washington)
- Malstrom Air Force Base (Montana)
- Nellis Air Force Base (Nevada)
- Warren Air Force Base (Colorado and Wyoming)
- Minot Air Force Base (North Dakota)
- Pantex plant (Texas)
- Whiteman Air Force Base (Missouri)
How did France get nukes?
A total of 193 nuclear tests were carried out in Polynesia from 1966 to 1996. On 24 August 1968 France detonated its first thermonuclear weapon—codenamed Canopus—over Fangataufa. A fission device ignited a lithium-6 deuteride secondary inside a jacket of highly enriched uranium to create a 2.6 megaton blast.
When was the last French nuclear test?
27 January 1996
On 27 January 1996, the last nuclear test explosion by France was conducted at the Moruroa and Fangataufa Atoll test site in the South Pacific. The underground explosion was equivalent to 120,000 tonnes of conventional explosives, six times the force of the bomb dropped on Hiroshima in 1945.
What kind of nuclear weapons does France have?
Force de frappe used sea, air, and land-based nuclear weapons for deterrence. To date, France Nuclear Force, a section of the French Military, remains the third-largest nuclear force in the world after the US and Russia. France did 210 nuclear tests between 1960 and 1995 within its territory and overseas territories.
Where was the first nuclear bomb tested in France?
The first French nuclear weapon was tested in Algeria on 13 February 1960. In February 1964 the Forces aériennes stratégiques (Strategic Air Forces) became operational. France did not develop an H-bomb until 1968; it was tested at Mururoa Atoll in the Pacific.
Are there any weapons of mass destruction in France?
France is one of the five “Nuclear Weapons States” under the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, but is not known to possess or develop any chemical or biological weapons.
Where did France test nuclear weapons during the Algerian War?
Seventeen of them were done in the Algerian Sahara between 1960 and 1966, starting in the middle of the Algerian War. One-hundred ninety-three were carried out in French Polynesia. A summary table of French nuclear testing by years can be found here: France’s nuclear testing series .