Britain and France conducted drills to respond to a possible nuclear attack in the first exercise of its kind, the French government has confirmed.

RAF Typhoon Jets joined French Rafale fighters for a simulated nuclear strike in an operation named ‘Rummy’ this week.

The two air forces took off from Saint-Dizier base in north-eastern Franceon Tuesday evening before conducting a nuclear drill over the Mediterranean Sea.

The exercise, which consolidates Anglo-French military co-operation, was carried out without discharging any real nuclear projectiles.

Catherine Vautrin, the French armed forces and veterans minister, said the drill marked a ‘decisive milestone’ in the two nations’ defence partnership.

She said: ‘Having nuclear forces does not exclude collaboration.

‘Our nuclear co-operation with the United Kingdom does not cease to deepen: on Tuesday evening, Typhoon fighters participated for the first time in a nuclear exercise alongside Rafale fighters.

‘By co-ordination, our nuclear forces demonstrate they can contribute increasingly significantly to the global security of the alliance and the peace and stability of the Euro-Atlantic zone.’

France and Britain are Europe’s two major nuclear powers, with no other countries on the continent holding self-developed weapons of mass destruction, although US-made NATO shared weapons are stored in Belgium, Germany, Italy and the Netherlands.

British defence secretary Wes Streeting confirmed this week’s exercise was the first in which RAF jets had joined French forces for nuclear drills.

He added: ‘It’s a landmark step in UK-France defence co-operation and a clear signal that we stand shoulder to shoulder with our allies on European security and credible deterrence.’

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