French Defense Minister Florence Parly announced that France successfully tested the modernized version of its ASMPA nuclear missile without a military payload on Wednesday.

"The missile, developed by MBDA, was fired from a Rafale that took off from Cazaux Air Force Base 120 in southwestern France," according to a ministry statement.

The medium-range air-to-ground nuclear missile (ASMPA) was commissioned in 2009 and is set to be replaced around 2035 by a next-generation air-to-ground system (ASN4G).