NEW DELHI: Wildfires sweeping across southwestern France have spread dangerously close to some of the country’s most critical defence and aerospace facilities, including Dassault Aviation’s Rafale fighter jet assembly line and sites linked to France’s nuclear deterrent.The fires, burning in the Gironde region near Bordeaux, have prompted emergency measures to protect strategic military-industrial infrastructure as firefighters battle to contain the blaze.Among the facilities under threat are ArianeGroup’s site involved in the production of propulsion components for France’s M51 submarine-launched nuclear ballistic missile, Dassault Aviation’s Rafale final assembly plant in Mérignac, and a Roxel facility that manufactures solid rocket motors for missile systems.The M51 is France’s submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) and forms the sea-based leg of the country’s nuclear deterrent. Developed by ArianeGroup, the three-stage solid-fuel missile is deployed aboard France’s Triomphant-class nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines (SSBNs).With an estimated range of more than 8,000 kilometres, the M51 can carry multiple independently targetable nuclear warheads (MIRVs), allowing a single missile to strike multiple targets. It is regarded as one of the most advanced strategic weapons in France’s nuclear arsenal.Although authorities have not reported any damage or disruption to operations, the proximity of the fires has raised concerns over the safety of key defence installations.Since erupting on July 22, the wildfire has scorched around 42,000 hectares, forced the evacuation of nearly 220,000 people and destroyed about 240 homes, according to the latest official figures.Satellite imagery captured on Tuesday morning showed active wildfires about 12 kilometres west of ArianeGroup’s Candale site, where propulsion units for the M51 missile stages are integrated and assembled. The blaze was also around 13 kilometres from the Saint-Médard-en-Jalles facility, where the missile is fuelled, and approximately 16 kilometres from the Le Haillan site that produces the company’s solid-propulsion systems.“Whilst the unprecedented forest fires in Gironde are above all an environmental and humanitarian disaster, they also threaten sites that are of vital strategic importance to our nuclear deterrent,” said Etienne Marcuz, an associate fellow at the Foundation pour la Recherche Stratégique.French authorities have deployed extensive firefighting resources to prevent the flames from reaching strategic military and industrial facilities. Emergency crews have created firebreaks around sensitive sites, while bulldozers and forestry equipment have been used to clear vegetation that could fuel the advancing fire.Marc Vermeulen, head of the Gironde Department Fire and Emergency Service, said that after protecting lives, the next priority is securing strategic sites at risk. The French defence procurement agency (DGA) also operates a missile testing facility just west of Saint-Médard.Thales said its Mérignac site has remained closed since Monday as a precaution, in line with guidance issued by authorities. The company said it was taking all necessary measures to safeguard strategic equipment at the facility while ensuring continuity of its commitments to customers.
