S2 (missile)

The S2 was the first deployed French land-based strategic missile, equipped with a single nuclear warhead of 120 kilotonnes. In France it is called an SSBS, for Sol-Sol Balistique Stratégique, or Ground-Ground Strategic Ballistic Missile. The S2 was a two-stage, solid-propellant Intermediate Range Ballistic Missile (IRBM).

Operational history
Deployed in 1971, the main land-based component of the French nuclear deterrent (force de dissuasion) was the S2 missile, rounding out their strategic nuclear triad along with air and submarine assets. Two groups totaling 18 S2 missile silos were deployed at Apt-Saint-Christol air base, on the Plateau d'Albion in the Vaucluse region.

The S2 was replaced by the S3 SSBS in the early 1980s.