French bm explodes after launch from atomic submarine

A French ballistic missile M51 capable of carrying a nuclear warhead has exploded soon after it was launched from an atomic submarine during military exercise on the Atlantic coast of France in the department of Finistère, French media report. The missile reportedly did not have a warhead. It was not immediately clear why the rocket self-destructed, according to the French authorities. The M51 is the newest solid-fuel ballistic missile placed on submarines. It was put into service in France in 2010.