During the Poker 2023-01 military exercise organized by the French military, an ASMP-A cruise missile, which is designed for use with nuclear weapons, was spotted on a Dassault Rafale M carrier-based fighter. This caused serious concern among experts, since the use of nuclear weapons is a last resort and can lead to catastrophic consequences.

The ASMP-A missile was created by France as part of the country's nuclear defense strategy. This cruise missile is capable of speeds up to 3500 km/h and altitudes of more than 20 km. ASMP-A is equipped with a nuclear warhead with a yield of up to 300 kt, which is equivalent to a yield of 300 tons of TNT explosives.

This incident attracted the attention of the world media and raised concerns about a possible escalation of the nuclear threat. France has long been a nuclear power and a member of the Big Five club, along with the US, Russia, Britain and China, but the use of nuclear weapons remains one of the most contentious issues in world politics.

However, representatives of the French government assure that these were just exercises conducted as part of pilot training and should not be paid much attention to. At the same time, some experts believe that such exercises and the use of nuclear missiles in them can provoke other countries to similar actions and increase tension in the world community.