opération Tamouré

Operation "Tamouré" was a French military exercise in 1966 to test the ability of strategic forces to carry out a nuclear mission with the Mirage IV, the C-135F and associated infrastructure. This exercise aimed to demonstrate France's ability to drop an atomic bomb in real conditions.

The Mirage IV, a bomber designed for nuclear deterrence, was tested during this operation, which also involved Navy ships, CEA scientists and military observers. Squadron 1/91 "Gascogne" (Mirage IV) and Squadron 4/91 "Landes" (C-135F) were tasked with the mission, with the primary objective of flying 20,000 km from France to the Hao base in Polynesia. One Mirage IV was transported by sea, while another crossed the Atlantic, becoming the first French combat aircraft to achieve this feat.

Despite weather difficulties and a technical incident, the operation continued successfully. On July 19, 1966, a Mirage IV dropped a 60-kiloton AN-21 nuclear bomb over the Pacific. After the drop, "Vautour" aircraft collected radioactive samples. Although the bombing was a success, the safety conditions for the crews, particularly in the face of radiation, were insufficient.

The operation strengthened the credibility of the Strategic Air Forces (FAS) in terms of nuclear deterrence, despite equipment still under development such as the Albion plateau and the submarine "Le Redoutable".