The initial speartip of the French nuclear deterrent force was the Dassault Mirage IV strategic bomber: indeed, between 1964 and 1971, this was France’s only means of delivering nuclear weapons. Envisaged as an aerially-refuellable platform right from the start, the Mirage IV was designed around the requirement to deliver a 3,000kg-heavy, 5.2-metres-long nuclear bomb over a range of 2,000km, while being able to reach supersonic speeds. Development began in 1957 and 62 were pressed into service between 1964 and 1968. They were deployed by a total of nine squadrons, each of which had a complement of four aircraft. They were operated in two pairs, each of which consisted of one aircraft carrying one nuclear bomb (initially an AN.11, then AN.22, and then AN.52) semi-recessed under the fuselage, and the other serving as a buddy-tanker. (Artwork by Tom Cooper)