ASMP-A
Air-sol moyenne portée
1986 French nuclear cruise missile
The air-sol moyenne portée (ASMP; "medium-range air to surface missile") is a French nuclear air-launched cruise missile manufactured by MBDA France. In French nuclear doctrine, it is referred to as a "pre-strategic" weapon, the last-resort "warning shot" prior to a full-scale employment of strategic nuclear weapons launched from the Triomphant-class ballistic missile submarines. The missile's development was undertaken by Aérospatiale's Tactical Missile Division, now part of MBDA.
The ASMP entered service in May 1986. The development of an upgraded version, the ASMP-A, was launched in 1997 and the missile entered service in 2009. In 2016, yet another modernization program, the ASMPA-R, was launched. The first firing test of the ASMPA-R took place in December 2021 and the second in March 2022.
The ASN4G air-launched hypersonic cruise missile under development as of 2023 is expected to replace the ASMP in the pre-strategic nuclear deterrence role from 2035 onwards.