France has carried out a rare simulation of a nuclear deterrent strike, amid fears of an arms race after Donald Trump pulled the U.S. out of a missile pact with Russia. The French military tested its nuclear capability in an 11-hour mission, using a Rafale warplane and firing a real missile without its nuclear warhead. France spends some $3.5billion (£3.1bn) per year on maintaining its 300-strong nuclear weapons stockpile, launched from planes and submarines. It put an end to nuclear weapons testing in 1996 after a test in the South Pacific sparked outrage, and has since signed the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty. France is also concerned over North Korea's nuclear weapons programme and Iran's ballistic missile capabilities.

Source: Daily Mail February 05, 2019 15:17 UTC