France conducted the first at-sea firing of its latest submarine-launched ballistic missile on Tuesday. The French Navy’s nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine SNLE Le Vigilant ( S618) launched an M51.3 SLBM — minus its nuclear warhead — off the coast of Finistère, France, according to the French Ministry of the Armed Forces and Veterans Affairs.
The missile landed in the North Atlantic, several hundred kilometers from any coastline, the ministry said in a news release. The launch was the first time the M51.3 had been launched from a submerged SSBN. The M51.3 entered operational service on Oct. 24, 2025.
In other naval news, the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Arleigh Burke ( DDG 51) entered a dry dock at Navantia Shipyard in Cadiz, Spain, on Oct. 8, 2026, according to U.S. Naval Forces Europe-Africa/U.S. Sixth Fleet. The dry docking marked the first time a U.S. Navy warship had undergone dry docking in the U.S. 6th Fleet area of operations since the arrival of Forward Deployed Naval Forces-Europe destroyers, the Navy said. It expands forward-deployed maintenance capability and readiness generation.
The U.S. Department of War and the Missile Defense Agency have awarded Raytheon a multiyear contract worth up to $6.3 billion to build and sustain Standard Missile-3 Block IB interceptors, the ship- and land-launched missiles the U.S. Navy uses to shoot down ballistic missiles in space. The contract runs five years with two additional option years, and was issued as an undefinitized contract action, letting Raytheon start work immediately while final terms are negotiated. Production will take place mainly at Raytheon plants in Tucson, Arizona, and Huntsville, Alabama. The SM-3 Block IB was first used in combat in April 2024, when U.S. Navy ships intercepted Iranian ballistic missiles fired at Israel. Raytheon said the award supports urgent replenishment of missile defense stocks drawn down in combat.
Raytheon President Phil Jasper said the award underscores the company’s commitment to increasing production of critical munitions. Michael P. Duffey, under secretary of war for acquisition and sustainment, said the contract provides production certainty to the defense industrial base, breaks sub-tier manufacturing bottlenecks, and ensures fleets have the interceptors required. The award is the latest under five framework agreements Raytheon signed with the Department of War in February, covering expanded production of Tomahawk cruise missiles, AMRAAM air-to-air missiles, SM-3 Block IB, SM-3 Block IIA and SM-6. Last week, Raytheon received a contract worth up to $24.4 billion for SM-6 production under the same framework.
In a separate development, Yeoman 1st Class Anthony Jaslow was commissioned as a Warrant Officer 1 during a ceremony at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii, on Oct. 1, 2026, becoming one of the first Sailors selected for the newly established Executive Support Technician (EST) community, designated Designator 7904. The EST program was formally established under NAVADMIN 152/26 in June. Jaslow, who began his Navy career in December 2019 as an undesignated seaman recruit, was selected by the EST board on July 30, 2026, with results published Aug. 21 in NAVADMIN 201/26. He serves as an executive support technician for Commander, Navy Region Hawaii Rear Adm. Rich Jarrett.
Sources: DVIDS News · USNI News