The test launch of a British nuclear missile from a Royal Navy submarine failed for the second time in a row, in what tabloids described as a humiliation for the Royal Navy.
A Trident II ballistic missile crashed into the sea near its launch site off the coast of Florida. In addition, British Defense Secretary Grant Shapps was on board the carrier submarine HMS Vanguard during the unsuccessful test.
The Ministry of Defense (MoD) told Business Insider that an “anomaly” occurred during a test of Britain's nuclear deterrent force. The exact reason what went wrong remains top secret.
The test overall confirmed the effectiveness of Britain's nuclear deterrent, in which we have absolute confidence. We are confident that the anomaly was related to a specific event and therefore there are no consequences for the reliability of the Trident missile systems. The UK's nuclear deterrent remains safe, secure and effective.
– said a representative of the Ministry of Defense.
Trident is the name of the British nuclear weapons program, which includes a group of four submarines, long-range missiles and nuclear warheads. At least one of the submarines is on constant patrol to deter threats, and warheads are not installed on missiles during testing. Trident II missiles were developed in the United States by Lockheed Martin.
Officials say the Trident missile remains one of the most capable in the world and has successfully completed 190 tests. The most recent occurred in 2016, when a British Navy submarine off the US coast fired a missile at a predetermined target in the sea off the coast of West Africa. However, it misfired and headed towards the United States instead.
The January test failure was the latest in a string of embarrassing incidents for the Royal Navy, which critics say has long been underfunded. Earlier this month, two Royal Navy aircraft carriers experienced technical problems, preventing them from joining a NATO exercise off the coast of Norway.
The competition for ITS authors continues. Write an article about the development of games, gaming and gaming devices and win a professional gaming wheel Logitech G923 Racing Wheel, or one of the low-profile gaming keyboards Logitech G815 LIGHTSYNC RGB Mechanical Gaming Keyboard!