The TRIDENT missile has dramatically failed and crashed into the ocean from the British nuclear submarine that launched it, The Sun reveals.
The second failed launch in a row – following an ignition failure in 2016 – happened while Defense Secretary Grant Shapps was on board HMS Vanguard to witness the test.
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HMS Vanguard was below the surface but was not hit by the 44ft projectile as it fell back into the Atlantic Credit: Military Picture Libary
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This is the second failed test since 2016, when a Trident fired from HMS Vengeance veered off course and self-destructed
The Ministry of Defense confirmed that an “anomaly occurred” during the exercise off Florida on January 30, but the nuclear deterrent remains “effective”.
The crew on the nuclear submarine completed their doomsday drill perfectly, and the Trident 2 missile was launched into the air by compressed gas in the launch tube.
But its first booster stage failed to ignite and the 58-tonne missile – fitted with dummy warheads – splashed into the ocean and sank.
A source said: “She left the sub, but she just went down, right next to them.”
HMS Vanguard was below the surface, hovering at launch depth, but was not hit by the 44ft missile as it fell back into the Atlantic.
A frantic probe was immediately launched to find out what had gone wrong and the search ordered top secret missile technology to be recovered from the seabed at Port Canaveral, Florida.
It is the second failed test since 2016, when a Trident fired from HMS Vengeance veered off course and self-destructed.
But despite the setback, officials insist they are confident the failure was a “specific event.”
‘AN ANOMALY HAS OCCURRED’
Crucially, it is understood that the marksmanship would be successful in an actual patrol mission, not in test conditions.
No further details of what went wrong are being released on “national security” grounds.
Did Downing Street cover up the Trident missile test failure just weeks before MPs vote?
In a statement to The Sun, the Ministry of Defense said: “HMS Vanguard and her crew have proven fully capable of operating the UK’s Continuous At-Sea Deterrent, passing all tests during the recent Demonstration and Seismic Operation (DASO) – and a routine test to confirm that the submarine can return to service after extensive maintenance work.
“The test reaffirmed the effectiveness of Britain’s nuclear deterrent, in which we have absolute confidence. An anomaly occurred during the test.
“As a matter of national security, we cannot provide any further information on this, however we are confident that the anomaly was a specific event, and therefore has no implications for the reliability of the wider Trident missile systems and stockpiles.
“Britain’s nuclear deterrent remains safe, secure and effective.”
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Defense Secretary Grant Shapps was on board HMS Vanguard to witness the test Credit: Alamy
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No further details of what went wrong are being released on the grounds of ‘national security’Credit: Brochure – Getty
Ministers are expected to brief MPs in the House of Representatives today about the January 30 incident at a secure US naval port. First Sea Lord Admiral Sir Ben Key was also on the submarine at the time.
Officials point out that Trident remains one of the most reliable weapons systems in the world, having successfully completed more than 190 tests involving the UK and US.
The United Kingdom has fired 12 Trident 2 missiles since the weapon entered service with the Royal Navy in 1994. But the two most recent failed.
In June 2016, Trident 2 took off from HMS Vengeance and its rocket boosters successfully ignited. But a few moments later it veered off course, allegedly towards the US, and automatically self-destructed.
Later, Theresa May’s government was accused of covering up the failed launch as parliament was due to vote on renewing the UK’s nuclear deterrent.
SENIORS OF THE FLEET
MPs have overwhelmingly backed a plan to spend £40 billion on “enhancing the nuclear deterrent”.
This means that the aging fleet of Vanguard submarines will be replaced by successors to the Dreadnought class in the 2030s.
The Trident, fired from HMS Vanguard, was to fly 3,700 miles from the coast of Florida to a collision point in the mid-Atlantic between Brazil and West Africa.
His intended route was revealed in an alert by ships and aircraft of the National Geospatial Intelligence Agency.
The target was 1,000 miles closer than the target of the failed launch in 2016 and less than half the Trident 2 missile’s reported range of 7,500 miles.
The Trident 2 missiles are designed to blast to the edge of space, reaching speeds of 13,600 km/h, before re-entering the earth’s atmosphere with a devastating payload of as many as 12 nuclear warheads.
They first entered service with the US Navy 34 years ago, and four years later with the Royal Navy.
COST £17 MILLION
Still, missile makers Lockheed Martin insist the Trident 2 remains “the most advanced ballistic missile in the world.”
It said they had been successfully tested a “record” 191 times since 1989, most recently in September when the USS Louisiana, an Ohio-class nuclear-powered submarine, conducted a demonstration and demolition operation in the Pacific.
British launches are less frequent as each rocket costs more than £17m.
The last successful launch in the UK took place in October 2012, when HMS Vigilant fired the missile after undergoing repairs and sea trials.
It comes amid a drumbeat of warnings that the world is heading for World War III, with increased nuclear weapons clanging underscoring the key role played by Trident.
HIDDEN NUKE KICK BACK
BRITISH nuclear deterrence is the last line of defense that will obliterate our enemies should they launch first.
The plan relies on a nuclear-armed submarine being at sea at all times – hidden beneath the waves or the polar ice cap to survive a first attack on the British mainland and ready to strike back.
It requires a group of brave men and women who spend months on top-secret underwater patrols, mostly cut off from their loved ones back home.
The secrecy surrounding the submarine’s location means that the crew can rarely – if ever – broadcast messages that would give away their position.
Vanguard-class submarine crews can only receive short text messages, known as family messages, and cannot send anything home.
They won’t even be told if their loved one has died because there’s nothing they can do about it.
The only time a submarine breaks its radio silence is if the life of a crew member is in danger.
In the event of a nuclear conflict, each of the Navy’s four Vanguard submarines can fire 16 Trident 2 missiles.
Each of the missiles is armed with multiple nuclear warheads.
The missiles fly to the edge of space and zip past the stars at speeds of up to 23,600 km/h, before re-entering Earth’s atmosphere with a devastating nuclear payload.
A Navy source said each of the submarines carried more explosive power than was dropped during the entire Second World War.
The Royal Navy nuclear submarine has been on constant patrol since April 1969.
If the crews lose contact with the British government, they are ordered to scan the airwaves for BBC Radio 4 as proof that Great Britain still exists.
Three days without today’s program is a sign of Armageddon and the captain can open the letter as a last resort — a handwritten note from the prime minister with instructions on what to do next.
Despite last month’s denial of firing, the Ministry of Defense said HMS Vanguard and her 149-strong crew had “proven fully capable of operating the UK’s Sustained Deterrence System at Sea, passing all tests”.
It went on to say: “The test reaffirmed the effectiveness of Britain’s nuclear deterrent, in which we have absolute confidence.”
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