Reggane series, French nuclear tests

The Reggane series was a group of 4 atmospheric A-bomb nuclear tests conducted by France between February 1960 and April 1961, close to the end of the Algerian War.[1] The bombs were detonated at the Saharan Military Experiments Centre near Reggane, French Algeria in the Sahara desert region of Tanezrouft, by the Nuclear Experiments Operational Group (GOEN), a unit of the Joint Special Weapons Command.[2] The series saw the explosion of the first French nuclear weapon and was followed by the In Ekker series.

Reggane series
Location of the Saharan Military Experiments Centre (CSEM)
Information
Country France
Test siteReggane, French Algeria
Coordinates26°18′42″N 00°03′26″W
Period1960–1961
Number of tests4
Test typeAtmospheric
Device typeA-bombs
Max. yield70 kt (292.88 TJ)
Test series chronology

Codenames

All four operations were named after the jerboa (Gerboise), a desert rodent found in the Sahara, with the adjunction of a colour. The first three colours adjuncted (blue, white and red) are said to come from the French Flag.[3]

Chart of the tests
Codename Date time (UTC) Location Elevation Altitude Delivery Purpose Device Yield Fallouts[lower-alpha 1]
Gerboise Bleue 1960-02-13 – 07:04:00.0 CESM, Reggane, French Algeria
26°18′42″N 00°03′26″W		 235 m +100 m Tower
  • First nuclear weapon
  • Weapon effect
 M1[lower-alpha 2] 70.0 kt After 1 hour :
  • 0.100 Gy/h (0.8 km)
  • 0.100 Gy/h (28.5 km)
  • 0.030 Gy/h (570.0 km)
Gerboise Blanche 1960-04-01 – 06:17:00.0 CESM, Reggane, French Algeria
26°09′58″N 00°06′09″W		 235 m 0 m Concrete pad
  • Miniaturization
  • Weapon development
 P1 3.0 kt After 1 hour :
  • 1.000 Gy/h (3.0 km)
  • 0.003 Gy/h (45.0 km)
Gerboise Rouge 1960-12-27 – 07:30:00.0 CESM, Reggane, French Algeria
26°21′11″N 00°07′24″W		 235 m +50 m Tower P2 2.0 kt After 1 hour :
  • 0.010 Gy/h (0.8 km)
  • 0.100 Gy/h (>6.0 km)
Gerboise Verte 1961-04-25 – 06:00:00.0 CESM, Reggane, French Algeria
26°19′15″N 00°04′24″W		 235 m +50 m Tower R1 0.7 kt After 1 hour :
  • 0.050 Gy/h (1.1 km)
References : [4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11]

See also

Notes
  1. Original 60's numbers are in rad/h and were converted to Gy/h, the SI derived unit for ionizing radiation dose.
  2. Emergency device P1 (later used for Gerboise Blanche) ready had M1 failed.
  3. Followed by Operation Augias 1.
  4. Followed by Operations Augias 2 & 3.

References
  1. Senate of the French Republic (15 December 1997). "French Senate report #179: The first French tests in the Sahara". senat.fr (in French). Retrieved 8 August 2020.
  2. Sokolski, Henry D.; Tertrais, Bruno (2013). Nuclear Weapons Security Crises: What Does History Teach?. Strategic Studies Institute and U.S. Army War College Press. p. 31. ISBN 978-1-5848-7574-1.
  3. Kutchesfahani, Sara Z. (2018). Global Nuclear Order. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-3519-9962-5.
  4. Radiological Conditions at the Former French Nuclear Test Sites in Algeria: Preliminary Assessment and Recommendations (PDF) (Technical report). Vienna: International Atomic Energy Agency. 1 March 2005. Retrieved 11 August 2020.
  5. Report on French Nuclear Tests (1960-1996) (PDF) (Technical report) (in French). Government of the French Republic. p. 118. Retrieved 11 August 2020.
  6. Yang, Xiaoping; North, Robert; Romney, Carl. Worldwide Nuclear Explosions (PDF) (Technical report). Science Applications International Corporation, Center for Monitoring Research. p. 20. Retrieved 11 August 2020.
  7. Report on health and environmental hazards of France's nuclear tests between 1960 and 1996 [...] (PDF) (Technical report) (in French). Paris: National Assembly of the French Republic. 5 February 2001. p. 36. Retrieved 11 August 2020.
  8. French Nuclear Testing, 1960-1988 (PDF) (Technical report). New York: Natural Resources Defense Council. February 1989. p. 26. Retrieved 11 August 2020.
  9. Billaud, Pierre (1989). "L'Opération GERBOISE BLEUE (engin M1, 13 février 1960)" (in French). Retrieved 10 August 2020.
  10. Billaud, Pierre (1989). "L'opération GERBOISE BLANCHE (engin P1, 1er avril 1960)" (in French). Retrieved 10 August 2020.
  11. Billaud, Pierre (1989). "L'opération GERBOISE VERTE (engin R1, 25 avril 1961)" (in French). Retrieved 10 August 2020.
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