The AN-11 was
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...
's first nuclear weapon, developed to arm the
Force de frappe
The ''Force de frappe'' (French language, French: "strike force"), or ''Force de dissuasion'' ("deterrent force") after 1961,Gunston, Bill. Bombers of the West. New York: Charles Scribner's and Sons; 1973. p104 is the designation of what used to ...
.
The AN-11's development began in the late 1950s. An early version was used in France's first
nuclear test
Nuclear weapons tests are experiments carried out to determine nuclear weapons' effectiveness, Nuclear weapon yield, yield, and explosive capability. Testing nuclear weapons offers practical information about how the weapons function, how detona ...
,
Gerboise Bleue
''Gerboise Bleue'' (; ) was the codename of the first French nuclear test. It was conducted by the Nuclear Experiments Operational Group (GOEN), a unit of the Joint Special Weapons Command on 13 February 1960, at the Saharan Military Experimen ...
, on 13 February 1960. The first AN-11 prototype was tested 1 May 1962, and it entered service in 1964.
The AN-11 was a pure
fission weapon, a
plutonium
Plutonium is a radioactive chemical element with the symbol Pu and atomic number 94. It is an actinide metal of silvery-gray appearance that tarnishes when exposed to air, and forms a dull coating when oxidized. The element normally exhibi ...
implosion type. It weighed approximately 1,500 kg (3,306 lb). It was a free-fall bomb intended to be dropped from high-altitude
bomber
A bomber is a military combat aircraft designed to attack ground and naval targets by dropping air-to-ground weaponry (such as bombs), launching torpedoes, or deploying air-launched cruise missiles. The first use of bombs dropped from an air ...
s. The explosive
nuclear weapon yield was about 60
kt.
About 40 AN-11s were produced between 1963 and 1968. The carrier was the
Dassault Mirage IV
The Dassault Mirage IV was a French supersonic strategic bomber and deep- reconnaissance aircraft. Developed by Dassault Aviation, the aircraft entered service with the French Air Force in October 1964. For many years it was a vital part of ...
, although some reports said the
Sud Aviation Vautour
The Sud-Ouest Aviation (SNCASO) S.O. 4050 Vautour II (French for ''vulture'') was a French jet-powered bomber, interceptor, and attack aircraft developed and manufactured by aircraft company Sud Aviation.
The Vautour was operated by France's '' ...
could also carry this bomb. Beginning in 1967 it was replaced by the more advanced
AN-22 bomb.
Nuclear bombs of France
Military equipment introduced in the 1960s
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