[3][4] Designed and produced by the CEA's Military Applications Division (DAM), TNO warheads are an integral part of France's nuclear deterrent program.
[1] As with all thermonuclear warheads, the explosive materials comprise three main elements: uranium, plutonium and tritium, all of which are of military grade.
Both were produced before France definitively ceased uranium and plutonium production in 1997, the country having sufficient stocks for its present and future needs.
[5] The load used is said to be "robust":[6] less optimized than the TN 75 (which has an estimated yield of 110 kt) but with improved reliability and service life.
Its technology benefited from the final nuclear test campaign carried out in 1995-1996 at Moruroa, French Polynesia and its design was ultimately validated by the French nuclear defense simulation program carried out using the Laser Mégajoule, TERA-100 supercomputer and the Airix X-ray generator.