 |
| Reggane series | |
|---|---|
  Location of the Saharan Military Experiments Centre (CSEM) | |
| Information | |
| Country |  France |
| Test site | Reggane, French Algeria |
| Coordinates | 26°18′42″N 00°03′26″W / 26.31167°N 0.05722°W |
| Period | 1960–1961 |
| Number of tests | 4 |
| Test type | Atmospheric |
| Device type | A-bombs |
| Max. yield | 70 kt (292.88 TJ) |
| Test series chronology | |
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.
The French authorities claimed that the tests took place in an uninhabited area, but at least 27,000 people living in the vicinity were negatively impacted. The radioactive fallout caused elevated levels of skin cancer, birth defects, organ cancers and blindness among the local population.
- ^ 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.
- ^ 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.