“Supersonic Military Exercise: Inside “Operation Poker” with the Air and Space Force”

The answer is in heaven. At exactly 1:12 a.m., a Rafale-type fighter plane broke the sound barrier, reaching the supersonic speed of 1,224 kilometers per hour. The detonation was heard for several kilometers around, because the plane was flying at night and at low altitude. These conditions have the effect of amplifying the sound. The Air and Space Force was conducting a military exercise, codenamed “Operation Poker”, consisting of a simulated raid with aircraft capable of carrying nuclear missiles.

“Poker operations are generally carried out at night, because it is the environment that is the most demanding. So, we train the hardest in the end to be able to carry out this mission whatever the weather conditions”, explains, at the microphone of TF1, a spokesman for the Air Force and Space, Yann Malard. Dozens of aircraft were mobilized to carry out this simulation. Rafales, but also tanker or transport planes, took off from different places in France. This type of exercise takes place four times a year, without the dates being specified in advance. The last time was in 2021 in the Creuse.