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AsmpThe ASMP (Air-Sol Moyenne Portee - medium-range air to surface missile) is an air-launched nuclear warhead delivery system used by France. In French nuclear doctrine, it is the last-resort warning shot before the usage of strategic nuclear weapons. ASMP entered service in 1986, replacing the earlier free-fall AN-22 bomb on France's Dassault Mirage IV aircraft and the AN-52 bomb on Dassault Super Etendard. About 84 weapons are stockpiled. Carrier aircraft are the Dassault Mirage 2000N, Dassault Rafale, and Dassault Super Etendard; the earlier Mirage IVP has been completely retired. ASMP is 5.38 meters long and weighs 860 kg. It is a supersonic stand-off missile powered by a liquid-fuel ramjet. It flies at Mach 2 to Mach 3, with a range between 80 km and 300 km depending on flight profile. Warhead is a single TN81 with two yield options, 150 kT and 300 kT. An advanced, long-range version of the ASMP, known as ASMP-A or ASMP+, is under development, with intended service entry in 2010. See also Force de frappe.
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