Le Figaro attended Operation Poker, a nuclear deterrence exercise by the strategic air forces. Reporter Nicolas Barotte boarded an MRTT tanker aircraft to observe a flight simulating an air raid. The plane refuels Rafale jets carrying nuclear weapons.
On March 17, 2026, Nicolas Barotte of Le Figaro boarded an MRTT aircraft from the strategic air forces (FAS) during Operation Poker. The exercise simulates a nuclear air raid. The tanker plane, set in “max fioul” mode, is half-empty and dim-lit. The front section is like a long corridor to the cockpit, stripped of seats and unnecessary equipment to carry maximum fuel. Over the five-hour flight, the MRTT refuels Rafale jets from Operation Poker multiple times. This extends the range of FAS aircraft carrying nuclear weapons to strike deep into enemy territory. The reach spans several thousand kilometers, leaving no potential target safe. An official stated: “If we had to use our arsenal, no state, however powerful, could escape it; no state, however vast, could recover from it.” The raid is simulated.
