1975–78 French nuclear tests explained

1975–1978
Country:	France
Test Site:	Area 1 (southern rim), Fangataufa Atoll; Dindon zone, Moruroa Atoll; Muroroa Atoll, Pacific Test Area (CEP); Rim zone, Areas 1–2, Moruroa Atoll; Zoe and Yvonne Il., Areas 3–4, Moruroa Atoll
Period:	1975–1978
Number Of Tests:	29
Test Type:	dry surface, underground shaft
Max Yield:	64ktTNT
Next Series:	1979–80 French nuclear tests

The 1975–1978 nuclear test series was a group of 29 nuclear tests conducted by France in 1975–1978. These tests followed the 1971–1974 French nuclear tests series and preceded the 1979–1980 French nuclear tests series.

France's 1975–1978 series tests and detonations
- !style="background:#ffdead;"	Name ^[1] !style="background:#efefef;"	Date time (UT) !style="background:#ffdead;"	Local time zone^[2] ^[3] !style="background:#efefef;"	Location^[4] !style="background:#ffdead;"	Elevation + height ^[5] !style="background:#efefef;"	Delivery, ^[6] Purpose ^[7] !style="background:#efefef;"	Device^[8] !style="background:#ffdead;"	Yield^[9] !style="background:#efefef;" class="unsortable"	Fallout^[10] !style="background:#ffdead;" class="unsortable"	References !style="background:#efefef;" class="unsortable"	Notes	- ! Achille	18:15:??	TAHT (–10 hrs)	Area 1 (southern rim), Fangataufa Atoll: Terme Sud -22.2791°N -138.7598°W	0 – 623m (2,044feet)	underground shaft, weapons development						- ! Hector	00:48:??	TAHT (–10 hrs)	Area 1 (southern rim), Fangataufa Atoll: Echo -22.2608°N -138.7097°W	0 – 585m (1,919feet)	underground shaft, weapons development						- ! Patrocle	17:07:??	TAHT (–10 hrs)	Rim zone, Areas 1–2, Moruroa Atoll: Francoise1 -21.788°N -138.8645°W	5m (16feet) – 600m (2,000feet)	underground shaft, weapons development						- ! Ménélas	00:30:00.5	TAHT (–10 hrs)	Rim zone, Areas 1–2, Moruroa Atoll: Viviane1 -21.8662°N -138.9074°W	5m (16feet) +	underground shaft, weapons development						- ! Calypso	19:00:??	TAHT (–10 hrs)	Rim zone, Areas 1–2, Moruroa Atoll: Dora1 -21.7804°N -138.8844°W	5m (16feet) – 280m (920feet)	underground shaft, safety experiment						- ! Ulysse A	22:59:59	TAHT (–10 hrs)	Rim zone, Areas 1–2, Moruroa Atoll: Dahlia1 -21.8744°N -138.8648°W	5m (16feet) +	underground shaft, weapons development						- ! Astyanax	23:00:00	TAHT (–10 hrs)	Rim zone, Areas 1–2, Moruroa Atoll: Edith1 -21.7839°N -138.87°W	5m (16feet) +	underground shaft, weapons development						- ! Ulysse B	23:30:00.4	TAHT (–10 hrs)	Rim zone, Areas 1–2, Moruroa Atoll: Dahlia1 -21.8744°N -138.8648°W	5m (16feet) +	underground shaft, weapons development						- ! Nestor	23:00:59.9	TAHT (–10 hrs)	Zoe and Yvonne Il., Areas 3–4, Moruroa Atoll: Zoe1 -21.8801°N -138.941°W	5m (16feet) +	underground shaft, weapons development						- ! Oedipe	23:30:00	TAHT (–10 hrs)	Rim zone, Areas 1–2, Moruroa Atoll: Edith2 -21.7842°N -138.8688°W	5m (16feet) +	underground shaft, weapons development						- ! Andromaque	18:15:??	TAHT (–10 hrs)	Rim zone, Areas 1–2, Moruroa Atoll: Dora3 -21.7809°N -138.881°W	5m (16feet) – 280m (920feet)	underground shaft, safety experiment						- ! Ajax	22:59:58.52	TAHT (–10 hrs)	Rim zone, Areas 1–2, Moruroa Atoll: Francoise2 -21.79°N -138.8605°W	5m (16feet) +	underground shaft, weapons development						- ! Clytemnestre	23:00:??	TAHT (–10 hrs)	Rim zone, Areas 1–2, Moruroa Atoll: Dora2 -21.7807°N -138.8824°W	5m (16feet) – 280m (920feet)	underground shaft, safety experiment						- ! Oreste	01:30:00	TAHT (–10 hrs)	Rim zone, Areas 1–2, Moruroa Atoll: Francoise2 -21.7904°N -138.86°W	5m (16feet) +	underground shaft, weapons development						- ! Enee	16:59:59.9	TAHT (–10 hrs)	Zoe and Yvonne Il., Areas 3–4, Moruroa Atoll: Zoe2 -21.8794°N -138.9392°W	5m (16feet) +	underground shaft, weapons development						- ! Laocoon	22:00:00	TAHT (–10 hrs)	Rim zone, Areas 1–2, Moruroa Atoll: Francois4 -21.7918°N -138.8585°W	5m (16feet) +	underground shaft, weapons development						- ! Polyphème	23:00:00	TAHT (–10 hrs)	Rim zone, Areas 1–2, Moruroa Atoll: Dahlia2 -21.8753°N -138.8631°W	5m (16feet) +	underground shaft, weapons development						- ! Didon		TAHT (–10 hrs)	Dindon zone, Moruroa Atoll: Cuve Meknes -21.78°N -138.8925°W	5m (16feet) +	dry surface, safety experiment					Safety Test? Not on most references. Location coincident with Denise Blockhouse.	- ! Pylade	17:30:00.5	TAHT (–10 hrs)	Rim zone, Areas 1–2, Moruroa Atoll: Carnelia -21.8001°N -138.849°W	5m (16feet) +	underground shaft, weapons development						- ! Hécube	17:30:00	TAHT (–10 hrs)	Rim zone, Areas 1–2, Moruroa Atoll: Edith3 -21.7848°N -138.8679°W	5m (16feet) +	underground shaft, weapons development						- ! Xanthos	17:00:00	TAHT (–10 hrs)	Rim zone, Areas 1–2, Moruroa Atoll: Simone1 -21.8687°N -138.8337°W	5m (16feet) +	underground shaft, weapons development						- ! Arès	18:00:00	TAHT (–10 hrs)	Rim zone, Areas 1–2, Moruroa Atoll: Coucou1 -21.884°N -138.9958°W	5m (16feet) +	underground shaft, weapons development						- ! Idoménée	23:00:00	TAHT (–10 hrs)	Rim zone, Areas 1–2, Moruroa Atoll: Francoise5 -21.7924°N -138.8575°W	5m (16feet) +	underground shaft, weapons development						- ! Schédios	18:00:00	TAHT (–10 hrs)	Rim zone, Areas 1–2, Moruroa Atoll: Queen1 -21.858°N -138.819°W	5m (16feet) +	underground shaft, weapons development						- ! Aphrodite	18:00:??	TAHT (–10 hrs)	Rim zone, Areas 1–2, Moruroa Atoll: Dora4 -21.7816°N -138.8776°W	5m (16feet) – 280m (920feet)	underground shaft, safety experiment						- ! Priam	17:31:58.48	TAHT (–10 hrs)	Zoe and Yvonne Il., Areas 3–4, Moruroa Atoll: Coucou -21.8838°N -138.992°W	5m (16feet) +	underground shaft, weapons development						- ! Dolon		TAHT (–10 hrs)	Muroroa Atoll, Pacific Test Area (CEP): Cuve Meknes -21.78°N -138.8925°W	5m (16feet) +	dry surface, safety experiment					Safety Test? Not on most references. Location coincident with Denise Blockhouse.	- ! Étéocle	18:04:00	TAHT (–10 hrs)	Rim zone, Areas 1–2, Moruroa Atoll: Camelia2 -21.8011°N -138.8475°W	5m (16feet) +	underground shaft, weapons development						- ! Eumée	16:57:01.5	TAHT (–10 hrs)	Rim zone, Areas 1–2, Moruroa Atoll: Viviane2 -21.8664°N -138.9041°W	5m (16feet) +	underground shaft, weapons development

Notes and References

The US, France and Great Britain have code-named their test events, while the USSR and China did not, and therefore have only test numbers (with some exceptions - Soviet peaceful explosions were named). Word translations into English in parentheses unless the name is a proper noun. A dash followed by a number indicates a member of a salvo event. The US also sometimes named the individual explosions in such a salvo test, which results in "name1 - 1(with name2)". If test is canceled or aborted, then the row data like date and location discloses the intended plans, where known.
To convert the UT time into standard local, add the number of hours in parentheses to the UT time; for local daylight saving time, add one additional hour. If the result is earlier than 00:00, add 24 hours and subtract 1 from the day; if it is 24:00 or later, subtract 24 hours and add 1 to the day. Historical time zone data obtained from the IANA time zone database.
Web site: Time Zone Historical Database. iana.com. March 8, 2014.
Rough place name and a latitude/longitude reference; for rocket-carried tests, the launch location is specified before the detonation location, if known. Some locations are extremely accurate; others (like airdrops and space blasts) may be quite inaccurate. "~" indicates a likely pro-forma rough location, shared with other tests in that same area.
Elevation is the ground level at the point directly below the explosion relative to sea level; height is the additional distance added or subtracted by tower, balloon, shaft, tunnel, air drop or other contrivance. For rocket bursts the ground level is "N/A". In some cases it is not clear if the height is absolute or relative to ground, for example, Plumbbob/John. No number or units indicates the value is unknown, while "0" means zero. Sorting on this column is by elevation and height added together.
Atmospheric, airdrop, balloon, gun, cruise missile, rocket, surface, tower, and barge are all disallowed by the Partial Nuclear Test Ban Treaty. Sealed shaft and tunnel are underground, and remained useful under the PTBT. Intentional cratering tests are borderline; they occurred under the treaty, were sometimes protested, and generally overlooked if the test was declared to be a peaceful use.
Include weapons development, weapon effects, safety test, transport safety test, war, science, joint verification and industrial/peaceful, which may be further broken down.
Designations for test items where known, "?" indicates some uncertainty about the preceding value, nicknames for particular devices in quotes. This category of information is often not officially disclosed.
Estimated energy yield in tons, kilotons, and megatons. A ton of TNT equivalent is defined as 4.184 gigajoules (1 gigacalorie).
Radioactive emission to the atmosphere aside from prompt neutrons, where known. The measured species is only iodine-131 if mentioned, otherwise it is all species. No entry means unknown, probably none if underground and "all" if not; otherwise notation for whether measured on the site only or off the site, where known, and the measured amount of radioactivity released.