On July 16, the armed forces of France and Germany conducted their first ever joint air activity within the framework of France’s “advanced deterrence” strategy (“dissuasion avancée”), marking a new milestone in bilateral defence cooperation. While the mission did not involve the use or transport of nuclear weapons, it constitutes the first operational participation of the Luftwaffe in an exercise linked to the French nuclear deterrent.
According to a joint statement from the French Ministry of the Armed Forces and the Luftwaffe, the activity brought together two Dassault Rafale fighters from the French Strategic Air Command (CFAS), deployed from Saint-Dizier Air Base, and two German Eurofighter Typhoons from Nörvenich Air Base. The formation conducted an in-flight refuelling with a French Airbus A330 MRTT Phénix, followed by joint manoeuvres before landing at Nörvenich, where the Franco-German Defence and Security Council was held the following day.
Rafale and Eurofighter fighters during the in-flight refueling exercise from a French A330 MRTT Phénix. Photo: French Armed Forces.
The exercise represents the first operational step in the commitments undertaken by President Emmanuel Macron and Chancellor Friedrich Merz in the joint declaration signed on March 2, 2026, to strengthen strategic cooperation between both countries. According to the official statement, the activity also helped increase interoperability between both air forces.
The political significance of the exercise was reinforced by prior statements from Friedrich Merz himself, who had anticipated that Germany would take part this year in a nuclear exercise of the French Armed Forces as part of strengthening European deterrence. This week’s mission materialises that commitment and reflects the growing strategic convergence between Paris and Berlin in the face of the deteriorating European security environment.
The initiative is part of the strategy promoted by Macron to broaden the debate on the role of the French nuclear deterrent as one of the pillars of continental security. In recent months, the French president proposed opening a dialogue with his European partners on the possibility that the French nuclear arsenal could contribute to a European-wide deterrence architecture, especially given uncertainties over the US commitment to the defence of the continent.
This rapprochement also coincides with an acceleration of other Franco-German projects in strategic capabilities, including the joint study with ArianeGroup to develop a long-range conventional ground-based ballistic missile, in addition to initiatives aimed at strengthening European industrial and military autonomy.
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Although the operation did not involve nuclear weapons, the participation of the Luftwaffe in a mission integrated with the French Strategic Air Command constitutes an unprecedented precedent and a clear indicator of the growing cooperation between both powers in one of the most sensitive areas of European defence.