63-631: The UGM-133A Trident II , or Trident D5 is a submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM), built by Lockheed Martin Space in Sunnyvale, California , and deployed with the United States and Royal Navy . It was first deployed in March 1990, and remains in service. The Trident II Strategic Weapons System is an improved SLBM with greater accuracy, payload, and range than the earlier Trident C-4 . It
126-576: A first strike weapon. Trident II missiles are carried by 14 US Ohio and 4 British Vanguard -class submarines, with 24 missiles on each Ohio class and 16 missiles on each Vanguard class (the number of missiles on Ohio -class submarines was reduced to 20, by 2017, in compliance with the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty ). There have been 177 successful test flights of the D5 missile since design completion in 1989,
189-414: A nuclear warhead and allows a single launched missile to strike several targets. Submarine-launched ballistic missiles operate in a different way from submarine-launched cruise missiles . Modern submarine-launched ballistic missiles are closely related to intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs), with ranges of over 5,500 kilometres (3,000 nmi), and in many cases SLBMs and ICBMs may be part of
252-739: A Polaris A-1 on 20 July 1960. Fifty-two days later, the Soviet Union made its first successful underwater launch of a submarine ballistic missile in the White Sea, on 10 September 1960 from the same converted Project 611 ( NATO reporting name Zulu-IV class) submarine that first launched the R-11FM. The Soviets were only a year behind the US with their first SSBN, the ill-fated K-19 of Project 658 (Hotel class), commissioned in November 1960. However,
315-489: A different target. Although the US did not commission any new SSBNs from 1967 through 1981, it did introduce two new SLBMs. Thirty-one of the 41 original US SSBNs were built with larger diameter launch tubes with future missiles in mind. In the early 1970s the Poseidon (C-3) missile entered service, and those 31 SSBNs were backfitted with it. Poseidon offered a massive MIRV capability of up to 14 warheads per missile. Like
378-752: A lone Typhoon used as a testbed for new missiles (the R-39s unique to the Typhoons were reportedly scrapped in 2012). Upgraded missiles such as the R-29RMU Sineva (SS-N-23 Sineva) were developed for the Deltas. In 2013 the Russians commissioned the first Borei-class submarine , also called the Dolgorukiy class after the lead vessel. By 2015 two others had entered service. This class is intended to replace
441-664: A longer three-stage missile than the C-4. Studies were delayed in 1978 when Congress approved only $ 5 million of the suggested $ 15 million for the Navy and Air Force program studies. By December 1978, the Navy's and the Air Force's own studies agreed with each other that a similar missile structure would not achieve desired savings. It was determined that the Navy and Air Force would maintain and be responsible for their own unique weapon systems. The US Navy continued with its own design of
504-405: A maximal strength-to-weight ratio, both stages are reinforced by a carbon-fiber-reinforced polymer hull. The second and third-stage sections are connected by an integrated equipment/adapter section (ES). The equipment/adapter section is modified to be shorter and more compact than the C-4's adapter section. The D-5's equipment section contains critical guidance and flight control avionics, such as
567-636: A new MC4700 arming, fusing and firing (AF&F) system. The MC4700 AF&F system (dubbed the "super fuze") significantly improves warhead kill probabilities against hardened targets such as silos or bunkers. The W76-2 is also fitted with the Mk-4A RV and MC4700 fuze. In the National Nuclear Security Administration 's 2021 budget request, the agency requested US$ 53m to begin development of a new W93 warhead for use on Trident II and US$ 32 million to begin development of
630-630: A new Mk-7 RV. If approved, the W93 will be the first new nuclear weapon system to receive a type designation since the end of the Cold War. It is unclear if the W93 will replace the W76-1, the W88 or both warheads. In UK usage Trident II missiles are equipped with a warhead called Holbrook and have a maximum yield of 100 kt. The UK government insists the warhead is a British design, but analysts believe that it
693-742: A range of 7,700 kilometres (4,200 nmi), entered service on the first Delta-I boat in 1972, before the Yankee class was even completed. A total of 43 Delta-class boats of all types entered service 1972–90, with the SS-N-18 on the Delta III class and the R-29RM Shtil (SS-N-23) on the Delta IV class. The new missiles had increased range and eventually multiple independently targetable reentry vehicles ( MIRV ), multiple warheads that could each hit
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#1732780991531756-602: A submarine or from a launch site on land. United States Senate Committee on Armed Services The Committee on Armed Services , sometimes abbreviated SASC for Senate Armed Services Committee , is a committee of the United States Senate empowered with legislative oversight of the nation's military , including the Department of Defense , military research and development , nuclear energy (as pertaining to national security ), benefits for members of
819-487: Is a key element of the U.S. strategic nuclear triad and strengthens U.S. strategic deterrence . The Trident II is considered to be a durable sea-based system capable of engaging many targets. It has payload flexibility that can accommodate various treaty requirements, such as New START . The Trident II's increased payload allows nuclear deterrence to be accomplished with fewer submarines , and its high accuracy—approaching that of land-based missiles —enables it to be used as
882-520: Is largely based on the US W76 design. In 2011 it was reported that British warheads would receive the new Mk 4A reentry vehicles and some or all of the other upgrades that US W76 warheads were receiving in their W76-1 Life Extension Program. Some reports suggested that British warheads would receive the same arming, fusing and firing system (AF&F) as the US W76-1. Under a 1958 agreement, the US supplies
945-635: Is the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which has been passed by Congress and signed into law annually since 1962. The current chair is Democrat Jack Reed of Rhode Island, and the Ranking Member is Republican Roger Wicker of Mississippi (2023). According to the Standing Rules of the United States Senate , all proposed legislation, messages, petitions, memorials, and other matters relating to
1008-603: Is the first missile of the US Navy's Fleet Ballistic Missile program to incorporate a 3D printed component. While Lockheed Martin is the prime contractor, a variety of corporations work on the Trident II. For example, in October 2020, Boeing was contracted for maintenance, rebuilding and technical services for the Trident II navigation subsystem, and Northrop Grumman was contracted for engineering support and integration for
1071-541: The Cold War , as they can hide from reconnaissance satellites and fire their nuclear weapons with virtual impunity. This makes them immune to a first strike directed against nuclear forces, allowing each side to maintain the capability to launch a devastating retaliatory strike , even if all land-based missiles have been destroyed. This relieves each side of the necessity to adopt a launch on warning posture, with its attendant risk of accidental nuclear war. Additionally,
1134-849: The Naval Submarine Base King's Bay in Georgia was built for the Trident I-equipped force. Both the United States and the Soviet Union commissioned larger SSBNs designed for new missiles in 1981. The American large SSBN was the Ohio class , also called the "Trident submarine", with the largest SSBN armament ever of 24 missiles, initially Trident I but built with much larger tubes for the Trident II (D-5) missile , which entered service in 1990. The entire class
1197-568: The Trident C-4 , is slightly larger, allowing increased range and a larger payload. In addition to a larger motor, the D-5 uses an advanced and lighter fuel binder ( polyethylene glycol ) than the C-4. This fuel is more commonly known as NEPE-75 . (NEPE stands for nitrate ester plasticized polyether , the 75 represents that the fuel contains 75% solids.) The solid components bound by fuel binder are HMX , aluminum , and ammonium perchlorate . Both
1260-535: The U.S. Navy Ohio -class SSBNs at King's Bay, Georgia . The pool is co-mingled and missiles are selected at random for loading on to either nation's submarines. [REDACTED] United States Navy [REDACTED] Royal Navy Submarine-launched ballistic missile A submarine-launched ballistic missile ( SLBM ) is a ballistic missile capable of being launched from submarines . Modern variants usually deliver multiple independently targetable reentry vehicles (MIRVs), each of which carries
1323-455: The nuclear test series Operation Dominic . The first Soviet SSBN with 16 missiles was the Project 667A (Yankee class), which first entered service in 1967 with 32 boats completed by 1974. By the time the first Yankee was commissioned the US had built 41 SSBNs, nicknamed the " 41 for Freedom ". The short range of the early SLBMs dictated basing and deployment locations. By the late 1960s
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#17327809915311386-568: The Hotel class carried only three R-13 missiles (NATO reporting name SS-N-4) each and had to surface and raise the missile to launch. Submerged launch was not an operational capability for the Soviets until 1963, when the R-21 missile (SS-N-5) was first backfitted to Project 658 (Hotel class) and Project 629 (Golf class) submarines. The Soviet Union was able to beat the U.S. in launching and testing
1449-546: The Mk 6 navigation system. The equipment section also contains the third-stage TVC system, ordnance for ejecting from the second-stage motor, and the MIRV platform. The nose fairing shields the payload and third-stage motor. Mounted within the nose cap (above the nose fairing) is an extendable aerospike . This aerospike effectively decreases drag by 50%. The third-stage hull is also reinforced by carbon fiber and kevlar . The Trident II
1512-792: The Navy, beginning in late 1955. However, at the Project Nobska submarine warfare conference in 1956, physicist Edward Teller stated that a physically small one-megaton warhead could be produced for the relatively small, solid-fueled Polaris missile , and this prompted the Navy to leave the Jupiter program in December of that year. Soon Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Arleigh Burke concentrated all Navy strategic research on Polaris , still under Admiral Raborn's Special Project Office. All US SLBMs have been solid-fueled while all Soviet and Russian SLBMs have been liquid-fueled except for
1575-618: The Pacific theater. In 1980, the United Kingdom adopted the Trident I C-4 missile as part of its Trident nuclear program . The Trident II is a three-stage rocket , each stage containing a solid-fuel rocket motor. The first motor is made by Northrop Grumman . This first stage incorporates a solid propellant motor, parts to ensure first-stage ignition, and a thrust vector control (TVC) system. The first-stage section, compared to
1638-776: The Plume Avoidance Maneuver (PAM). If the RV will be disrupted by the PBCS nozzle's thrust, the nearest nozzle will shut off until the RV is away from the MIRV. The PAM is used only when a nozzle's plume will disrupt the area near an RV. The PAM is a specialized design feature added to the Trident II to increase accuracy. In US service Trident II can be loaded with up to eight Mk-5 RVs with 475-kt W88 warheads, up to fourteen Mk-4A RVs with 90-kt W76-1 warheads, and up to fourteen Mk-4A RVs with 5–7-kt W76-2 warheads. In practice, each missile on average carries four warheads due to
1701-568: The Polaris A-3 was deployed on all US SSBNs with a range of 4,600 kilometres (2,500 nmi), a great improvement on the 1,900 kilometres (1,000 nmi) range of Polaris A-1. The A-3 also had three warheads that landed in a pattern around a single target. The Yankee class was initially equipped with the R-27 Zyb missile (SS-N-6) with a range of 2,400 kilometres (1,300 nmi). The US was much more fortunate in its basing arrangements than
1764-499: The Russian RSM-56 Bulava , which entered service in 2014. The world's first operational nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine (SSBN) was USS George Washington (SSBN-598) with 16 Polaris A-1 missiles, which entered service in December 1959 and conducted the first SSBN deterrent patrol November 1960 – January 1961. George Washington also conducted the first successful submerged SLBM launch with
1827-515: The Secretary of Defense Caspar Weinberger to include funding for a new reentry vehicle–warhead combination for Trident II. The reentry vehicle was to be designated as the Mk 5 , which was to have a greater yield than the Mk 4. The development contract for Trident II was issued in October 1983. On 28 December 1983, the deputy SECDEF authorized the Navy to proceed with full-scale engineering development of
1890-531: The Soviets, the US also desired a longer-range missile that would allow SSBNs to be based in CONUS. In the late 1970s the Trident I (C-4) missile with a range of 7,400 kilometres (4,000 nmi) and eight MIRV warheads was backfitted to 12 of the Poseidon-equipped submarines. The SSBN facilities (primarily a submarine tender and floating dry dock ) of the base at Rota, Spain were disestablished and
1953-651: The Soviets. Thanks to NATO and the US possession of Guam , US SSBNs were permanently forward deployed at Advanced Refit Sites in Holy Loch , Scotland, Rota, Spain , and Guam by the middle 1960s, resulting in short transit times to patrol areas near the Soviet Union. The SSBN facilities at the Advanced Refit Sites were austere, with only a submarine tender and floating dry dock . Converted merchant ships designated T-AKs ( Military Sealift Command cargo ships) were provided to ferry missiles and supplies to
UGM-133 Trident II - Misplaced Pages Continue
2016-592: The Trident C-4. The second requirement asked for an alternative to the C-4, or a new Trident II missile with a larger first-stage motor than the C-4. The U.S. Navy conducted studies to determine whether the more expensive Trident II could be constructed similarly to the US Air Force's MX ICBM , primarily to decrease budget costs. It was established that the Trident II would be 83 inches (210 cm) in diameter and 44 feet (13 m) in length in order to match
2079-512: The Trident II D5. An initial series of 19 land-based Trident II launches took place from Cape Canaveral Launch Complex 46 from 15 January 1987 to 27 January 1989. The first submarine launch was attempted by USS Tennessee , the first D-5 ship of the Ohio class, on 21 March 1989 off the coast of Cape Canaveral , Florida. The launch attempt failed four seconds into the flight because
2142-447: The Trident II and relevant submarines at sites and shipyards from Sunnyvale, California, and Bangor, Washington, to Kings Bay, Georgia, and Cape Canaveral, Florida, among other locales. Peraton was contracted for program support services on the Trident II reentry subsystem, and Systems Planning & Analysis Inc. was contracted for Trident II technical services, program support, assessments, special studies, and systems engineering. Before
2205-621: The Trident II. In March 1980, US Secretary of Defense Harold Brown proposed an increased level of funding for the submarine-launched ballistic missile modernization, emphasizing increased accuracy. The House Armed Services Committee (HASC) recommended no funding, while the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC) recommended full funding of $ 97 million. The SASC asked for a plan incorporating "the fullest possible competition . . . [and] should consider competing among contractors for each major component, including
2268-519: The UK with blueprints of its own warhead designs but the design, manufacture and maintenance of UK warheads are purely a UK responsibility. The British government's Atomic Weapons Establishment is currently developing a new warhead to replace the existing Holbrook warhead, with deployment expected in the 2030s. The Royal Navy operates its missiles from a shared pool, together with the Atlantic squadron of
2331-607: The US with the collapse of the Soviet Union and the end of the Cold War in 1991. The US rapidly decommissioned its remaining 31 older SSBNs, with a few converted to other roles, and the base at Holy Loch was disestablished. Most of the former Soviet SSBN force was gradually scrapped under the provisions of the Nunn–Lugar Cooperative Threat Reduction agreement through 2012. By that time the Russian SSBN force stood at six Delta-IVs, three Delta-IIIs, and
2394-565: The United States ( Operation Paperclip ) and for the Soviet Union on their SLBM programs. These and other early SLBM systems required vessels to be surfaced when they fired missiles, but launch systems were adapted to allow underwater launching in the 1950-1960s. A converted Project 611 (Zulu-IV class) submarine launched the world's first SLBM, an R-11FM (SS-N-1 Scud-A, naval variant of the SS-1 Scud ) on 16 September 1955. Five additional Project V611 and AV611 (Zulu-V class) submarines became
2457-486: The accuracy of a missile is dependent upon the guidance system knowing the exact position of the missile at any given moment during its flight, the fact that stars are a fixed reference point from which to calculate that position makes this a potentially very effective means of improving accuracy. In the Trident system, this was achieved by a single camera that was designed to spot just one star in its expected position. If it
2520-437: The aging Deltas, and carries 16 solid-fuel RSM-56 Bulava missiles, with a reported range of 10,000 kilometres (5,400 nmi) and six MIRV warheads. The US is building a replacement for the Ohio class ; however, the first of the class wasn't laid down until October 2020. Ballistic missile submarines have been of great strategic importance for the United States, Russia, and other nuclear powers since they entered service in
2583-604: The continental United States ( CONUS ) at risk. This resulted in only a small percentage of the Soviet force occupying patrol areas at any time, and was a great motivation for longer-range Soviet SLBMs, which would allow them to patrol close to their bases, in areas sometimes referred to as "deep bastions". These missiles were the R-29 Vysota series (SS-N-8, SS-N-18, SS-N-23), equipped on Projects 667B, 667BD, 667BDR, and 667BDRM (Delta-I through Delta-IV classes). The SS-N-8, with
UGM-133 Trident II - Misplaced Pages Continue
2646-596: The deployment of highly accurate missiles on ultra-quiet submarines allows an attacker to sneak up close to the enemy coast and launch a missile on a depressed trajectory (a non-optimal ballistic trajectory which trades off reduced throw-weight for a faster and lower path, effectively reducing the time between launch and impact), thus opening the possibility of a decapitation strike . Specific types of SLBMs (current, past and under development) include: Some former Russian SLBMs have been converted into Volna and Shtil' launch vehicles to launch satellites – either from
2709-462: The end of 1982. These were all in the Pacific, and the Guam SSBN base was disestablished; the first several Ohio -class boats used new Trident facilities at Naval Submarine Base Bangor , Washington . Eighteen Ohio -class boats were commissioned by 1997, four of which were converted as cruise missile submarines (SSGN) in the 2000s to comply with START I treaty requirements. The Soviet large SSBN
2772-625: The first SLBM with a live nuclear warhead, an R-13 that detonated in the Novaya Zemlya Test Range in the Arctic Ocean, doing so on 20 October 1961, just ten days before the gigantic 50 Mt Tsar Bomba 's detonation in the same general area. The United States eventually conducted a similar test in the Pacific Ocean on 6 May 1962, with a Polaris A-2 launched from USS Ethan Allen (SSBN-608) as part of
2835-413: The first- and second-stage motors are connected by an interstage casing, which contains electronic equipment and ordnance for separation during flight. The second stage also contains a motor made by Thiokol and Hercules Inc., parts to ensure the second-stage ignition, and a TVC system. The first and second stages are both important to the structural integrity of the missile. To ensure that the stages maintain
2898-442: The first-stage motor ceases operation, the second-stage TVC subsystem ignites. The first-stage motor is then ejected by ordnance within the interstage casing. Once the first stage is cleared, the second-stage motor ignites and burns for approximately 65 seconds. The nose fairing is then jettisoned, separating from the missile. When the nose fairing is clear of the missile, the third-stage TVC subsystem ignites, and ordnance separates
2961-524: The integrated missile." $ 65 million was awarded for the submarine-launched ballistic missile modernization. On 2 October 1981, President Reagan called for the modernization of the strategic forces. The Defense Department directed the Navy to fund all development of the Trident II D5 missile with a December 1989 IOC. All research and development efforts would be directed toward "a new development, advanced technology, high accuracy Trident II D5 system." In December 1982, Deputy SECDEF Frank Carlucci advised
3024-413: The launch sequence is initiated, the on-board MARK 6 navigation system is activated. The specified mission trajectory is loaded onto the flight computer. Once the launch command is given, a steam generator system is activated, igniting a gas generator whose exhaust is fed into cooling water, causing expanding gas within the launch tube to force the missile upward, and out of the submarine . Within seconds,
3087-694: The military, the Selective Service System and other matters related to defense policy. The Armed Services Committee was created as a result of the Legislative Reorganization Act of 1946 following the U.S. victory in World War II . The bill merged the responsibilities of the Committee on Naval Affairs , established in 1816, and the Committee on Military Affairs , also established in 1816. Considered one of
3150-407: The missile breaches the surface of the water and the first-stage Thrust Vectoring Control (TVC) subsystem ignites. This enables hydraulic actuators attached to the first-stage nozzle. Soon after, the first-stage motor ignites and burns for approximately 65 seconds until the fuel is expended; in addition, an aerospike atop the missile deploys shortly after first-stage ignition to shape airflow. When
3213-529: The most powerful Senate committees, its broad mandate allowed it to report some of the most extensive and revolutionary legislation during the Cold War years, including the National Security Act of 1947 . The committee tends to take a more bipartisan approach than other committees, as many of its members formerly served in the military or have major defense interests located in the states they come from. The committee's regular legislative product
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#17327809915313276-562: The most recent being from USS Maine (SSBN-741) in February 2020. There have been fewer than 10 test flights that were failures, the most recent being from HMS Vanguard off the coast of Florida in January 2024. The D5 is the sixth in a series of missile generations deployed since the sea-based deterrent program began 60 years ago. The Trident D5LE (life-extension) version will remain in service until 2042. The Trident II
3339-413: The performance of the existing MX ICBM . Modifications to the guidance system, electronics hardening, and external protective coatings were incorporated into the design. While this satisfied the Navy's study requirements, it did not accommodate the US Air Force payload requirements. Propulsion stages were proposed to be used between the first stage and second stage motors, effectively making the Trident II
3402-429: The plume of water following the missile rose to a greater height than expected, and water was in the nozzle when the motor ignited. Once the problem was understood, relatively simple changes were quickly made, but the problem delayed the initial operating capability of Trident II until March 1990. IOC for Strategic Weapons Facility Pacific (SWFPAC) was completed on schedule in 2001, allowing Trident II SSBN to be deployed in
3465-463: The same family of weapons. The first practical design of a submarine -based launch platform was developed by the Germans near the end of World War II involving a launch tube which contained a V-2 ballistic missile variant and was towed behind a submarine, known by the code-name Prüfstand XII . The war ended before it could be tested, but the engineers who had worked on it were taken to work for
3528-419: The second-stage motor. The third-stage motor then ignites, pushing the equipment section the remaining distance (approx. 40 seconds) of the flight. When the third-stage motor reaches the targeted area, the Post Boost Control System (PBCS) ignites, and the third-stage motor is ejected. The astro-inertial guidance uses star positioning to fine-tune the accuracy of the inertial guidance system after launch. As
3591-406: The sites. With two rotating crews per boat, about one-third of the total US force could be in a patrol area at any time. The Soviet bases, in Severomorsk (near Murmansk ) for the Arctic - Atlantic theater in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky for the Pacific theater, required their SSBNs to make a long transit (e.g., through NATO-monitored waters in the Atlantic) to their mid-ocean patrol areas to hold
3654-401: The warhead limitations placed by the New START treaty. The system previously carried the Mk-4 RV with a 100 kt W76-0 warhead, but beginning in September 2008 W76-0s were converted to W76-1s. This process was completed by December 2018. Conversion from the W76-0 to W76-1 involved fitting the warheads with a new RV (the Mk-4A), replacing age limited components and fitting the warhead with
3717-420: The world's first operational ballistic missile submarines (SSBs) with two R-11FM missiles each, entering service in 1956–57. The United States Navy initially worked on a sea-based variant of the US Army Jupiter intermediate-range ballistic missile , projecting four of the large, liquid-fueled missiles per submarine. Rear Admiral W. F. "Red" Raborn headed a Special Project Office to develop Jupiter for
3780-404: Was converted to use Trident II by the early 2000s. Trident II offered a range of over 8,000 kilometres (4,300 nmi) with eight larger MIRV warheads than Trident I. When the USS Ohio (SSBN-726) commenced sea trials in 1980, two of the first ten US SSBNs had their missiles removed to comply with SALT treaty requirements; the remaining eight were converted to attack submarines (SSN) by
3843-430: Was designed with greater range and payload capacity than its predecessor ( Trident C-4 ). In 1972, the US Navy projected an initial operating capability (IOC) date of 1984. The US Navy shifted the IOC date to 1982. On 18 October 1973, a Trident program review was administered. On 14 March 1974, the US Deputy Secretary of Defense disseminated two requirements for the Trident program. The first was an accuracy improvement for
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#17327809915313906-413: Was not quite aligned to where it should be, it would indicate that the inertial system was not precisely on target and a correction would be made. The equipment section, with the MIRV , then aims the reentry vehicles (RV) towards the earth. The payload is then released from the MIRV platform. To prevent the PBCS correctional thrust from interfering with the RV when released, the equipment section initiates
3969-492: Was the Project 941 Akula , famous as the Typhoon-class (and not to be confused with the Project 971 Shchuka attack submarine , called "Akula" by NATO). The Typhoons were the largest submarines ever built at 48,000 tons submerged. They were armed with 20 of the new R-39 Rif (SS-N-20) missiles with a range of 8,300 kilometres (4,500 nmi) and 10 MIRV warheads. Six Typhoons were commissioned in 1981–89. New SSBN construction terminated for over 10 years in Russia and slowed in
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