RAF Typhoons join French nuclear exercise for first time, escorting Rafale strike mission

Royal Air Force Typhoon fighters joined French Rafales during Exercise Rummy over the Mediterranean, marking the first British participation in a French nuclear-air deterrence drill. The Typhoons provided fighter escort for a simulated Rafale strike mission, exercising coordination and supporting procedures without transferring nuclear weapons or operational control between the two countries. The activity follows the Northwood Declaration on closer British-French nuclear cooperation and involved conventional RAF assets supporting the French exercise scenario. It was a joint training event, not a combined nuclear weapons deployment or an agreement to pool either country’s independent deterrent.