Trident missile test fails for second time in a row
For the second consecutive time, the test firing of a Trident missile from a Royal Navy submarine has failed.
The most recent test took place aboard HMS Vanguard off the eastern coast of the United States. According to initial reports from the Sun, the missile’s booster rockets malfunctioned, causing it to land in the sea near the launch site.
Trident missiles serve as carriers for the UK’s nuclear warheads and are regarded as the nation’s ultimate defense mechanism.
The failure of the test is a significant source of embarrassment for both the United Kingdom and the American manufacturer of the Trident missile.
The UK conducts Trident missile tests sparingly due to their high costs, with each missile carrying a price tag of approximately £17 million.
The Defence Secretary, Grant Shapps, and the Navy’s top official were present aboard HMS Vanguard during the January test when the unarmed missile was launched off the East Coast of America.
The intended trajectory was for the missile to travel thousands of miles and safely land in the Atlantic Ocean between Brazil and West Africa. However, the missile instead fell into the ocean near its launch point.
The previous test from a UK submarine in 2016 also failed, when the missile veered off course.
At the time, the Sunday Times reported that the test fire was launched from HMS Vengeance off the coast of Florida.
The paper said the Trident II D5 missile was intended to be fired 5,600 miles (9,012 km) to a sea target off the west coast of Africa but veered towards the US.
The cause of what went wrong remains top secret, the paper reported but quoted a senior naval source as saying the missile suffered an in-flight malfunction after launching out of the water.
In a statement, the Ministry of Defence admitted an anomaly had occurred in the most recent launch. But it also claimed that the HMS Vanguard and its crew had been “proven fully capable” in their operations, and the test had “reaffirmed the effectiveness of the UK’s nuclear deterrent”.
The statement added that Trident was the “most reliable weapons system in the world”, having completed more than 190 successful tests.
Trident is the name of Britain’s system of nuclear weapons and includes submarines, missiles, and warheads.
