RAF Typhoons Escort French Rafales in First Joint Nuclear Strike Exercise

Royal Air Force Typhoon fighters took part in a French nuclear air exercise for the first time on 20-21 October, escorting French Rafale jets on a simulated nuclear strike mission over the Mediterranean, the UK Ministry of Defence said on 23 October. The exercise, named Rummy, did not involve nuclear weapons.

According to the ministry, the Rafales launched from Saint-Dizier Air Base in France and simulated a nuclear strike mission, escorted by the RAF Typhoons. British and French forces operated side by side over the Mediterranean, the ministry said, describing the exercise as a major step forward in UK-France defense cooperation under the Northwood Declaration. Both countries retain sovereign, independent nuclear forces and national decision-making, the ministry added. The release also cites the refreshed Lancaster House Agreement.

The UK Defence Secretary said the exercise "marks a new chapter in the defence nuclear relationship between the United Kingdom and France." France's Armed Forces Minister said that "having independent nuclear forces does not exclude coordination," adding that on Tuesday night UK Typhoons had "participated for the very first time to a French nuclear exercise alongside Rafales."

The Northwood Declaration, a joint UK-France nuclear statement issued on 10 July 2025, states that the two countries' nuclear forces "are independent, but can be coordinated" and that there is "no extreme threat to Europe that would not prompt a response by our two nations."

Defense News reported that the exercise also included A330 MRTT tanker aircraft, citing a post on X by France's Chief of the Defence Staff that showed three taxiing Eurofighters and one under a cover bearing RAF No. 29 Squadron markings. The French Air and Space Force regularly holds simulated nuclear-strike exercises called Poker, Defense News noted, and the French ministry said, according to the same report, that the two countries would only consider using nuclear weapons in "extreme circumstances of legitimate defense." A French analyst quoted by Defense News called the exercise "a revolution for the Strategic Air Forces, which have always operated in complete autonomy since their creation in the 1960s."

The Aviationist reported that the RAF deployed a small contingent of Typhoon FGR4s to Saint-Dizier, home to both frontline Rafale squadrons of the French deterrence force, and that the Typhoons flew a defensive counter-air escort. Released photos show at least one British Typhoon carrying only short-range ASRAAM missiles and fuel tanks, according to The Aviationist.

According to GlobalMilitary.net's inventory, the Royal Air Force operates 111 Typhoons and 14 A330 MRTT Voyager tankers. Its F-35 fleet stands at 47 aircraft in service, with 27 more on order. The French Air and Space Force has 112 Rafales in service and 45 on order, and the French Navy flies a further 41 Rafale M.

The exercise brought together NATO's two European nuclear powers, whose arsenals differ in structure. France's deterrent rests on two legs: an airborne component carrying the ASMP-A air-launched missile, and a submarine component armed with the M51 ballistic missile. The UK's deterrent is submarine-based only, on Trident II D5 missiles. GlobalMilitary.net data, based on published estimates, puts France's arsenal at about 370 warheads, around 280 of them deployed, and the UK's at about 225, around 120 deployed.

The UK Ministry of Defence said the UK will invest £63 billion over the next four years in its nuclear deterrent, covering the Dreadnought and SSN-AUKUS submarines and a new warhead, and will also buy 12 F-35A aircraft and join NATO's nuclear mission. France, for its part, conducted the first submarine firing of its M51.3 missile earlier this month.