Pluton


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The Pluton was a French tactical ballistic missile in service from 1974 to 1993. It typically carried a 15 – 25 kiloton yield (kT) nuclear warhead.1

Pluton at a Glance

Originated from
France
Possessed by
France
Class
Short-range Ballistic Missile (SRBM)
Basing
Transporter-Erector Launcher
Length
7.64 m
Diameter
0.65 m
Launch Weight
2,423 kg
Payload
Single Warhead
Warhead
Nuclear (15/25 kT) or Conventional Hight Explosive
Propulsion
Single-stage solid propellant
Range
120 km
Status
Obsolete
In Service
1974-1993

Pluton Development

The development of the Pluton began in the early 1960s and the missile became operational in 1974. France pursued an improved version, called the Super Pluton, but dropped this program in 1983 in favor of the Hadès. The French Army gradually phased the system out of service and fully retired it in 1993. 2

Pluton Specifications

The Pluton had a range of 120 km and used an inertial guidance system that had an accuracy of 150 m CEP. With a launch weight of 2,434 kg, it measured 7.64 m in length with a diameter of 0.65 m. It used a single-stage propellant engine and could be equipped with either a 15 or 25 kT yield nuclear warhead. It could also carry a conventional high-explosive warhead.3

The missile proved to be a reliable and readily deployable platform. Its transporter-erector-launcher (TEL) was a modified AMX-30 tank chassis, which allowed it to traverse rough roads and some off-road terrain. A CT-20 drone passed real-time targeting information to a command vehicle and allowed for updated targeting data. 4

Service History

The French Army deployed sixty Pluton missiles across five regiments. 5 In 1993, France formally retired the weapon.

Footnotes

    1. Federation of American Scientists, “Pluton”, 2000, http://fas.org/nuke/guide/france/theater/pluton.htm.
    2. Duncan Lennox, “Pluton”, Jane’s Strategic Weapon Systems (Obsolete Systems), October 12, 2011.
    3. Federation of American Scientists.
    4. Lennox.
    5. David Baker, The Rocket: The History and Development of Rocket & Missile Technology, 1978, (Crown Publishers, New York), 198.
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Missile Defense Project, "Pluton," Missile Threat, Center for Strategic and International Studies, May 9, 2017, last modified July 31, 2021, https://missilethreat.csis.org/missile/pluton/.