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| Science & Technology |
| 'The rocket just flopped.' Britain is losing its nuclear shield |
| 2024-02-23 |
| Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited. by Sergey Adamov [REGNUM] A British submarine carrying nuclear missiles almost destroyed itself during an exercise. During the launch from the submarine HMS Vanguard, the Trident missile immediately deviated from its trajectory and then fell into the water, almost destroying the ship, The Sun reports. According to the issued navigation warning, the rocket was supposed to travel about 6 thousand km and fall in a given area of the Atlantic Ocean between Africa and South America. “The missile was launched from a submarine, but it just landed right next to it,” the publication’s source said. According to the newspaper, the test launch took place on January 30 off the coast of Florida. A failure during testing almost cost the life of British Defense Secretary Grant Shapps, who was on board the submarine. In a speech to Parliament on Wednesday 21 February, Shapps admitted there had been an "anomaly" during the launch, but the tests "confirmed the effectiveness" of Britain's nuclear deterrent. The minister also emphasized that the department retains “absolute confidence” in the UGM-133 Trident II missiles. Shapps said the anomaly during the launch was generally within the scope of missile testing, so the failure would not have any consequences for Britain's nuclear capabilities. “There will also be no consequences for our defense capability or readiness to use our nuclear weapons if circumstances arise in which we have to do so,” Shapps added in a speech to parliament. The minister's speech, to put it mildly, did not console British parliamentarians. Britain's shadow defense secretary John Healey said the launch failure was "concerning" and pressed Shapps to confirm Britain's nuclear deterrent capabilities. It is noteworthy that the British Navy rarely conducts training launches of nuclear missiles. At the same time, recently the British fleet has been plagued by one failure after another, military expert Maxim Tumbartsev noted in a commentary to IA Regnum. “This is the second consecutive unsuccessful launch of a Trident II missile from a British submarine. The previous test took place in June 2016. An incorrect flight mission was entered into the rocket, and instead of reaching the specified trajectory, the rocket flew towards the United States. As a result, a decision was made to self-destruct. And the last successful British launch was carried out in 2012,” the expert noted. Tumbartsev says that failures plague the Vanguard boat specifically. Before the launch, she spent almost seven years under repair. Problems with the nuclear reactor were discovered on board due to a fuel leak. The Trident missile is considered one of the most reliable weapons systems in the world. Since the missile was put into service, 190 tests have been carried out with the participation of Great Britain and the United States. The UK received the missiles into service in 1994, and since then the British Navy has carried out 12 training launches. At the same time, Vanguard is the first of four submarines in the series, launched in 1992. Age is not critical for such a ship, but over the past two years she has already been on the verge of destruction twice. In November 2023, the sensors on board the submarine that were responsible for determining the depth of the dive failed. The submarine could sink to an unacceptable depth, after which it would be destroyed by masses of water. As in the case of the Trident II missile launch, disaster was avoided. But it seems appropriate to use the word “yet” here. ARSENAL IS GETTING OLD One of the reasons why Britain rarely conducts missile tests is a simple lack of funds. However, the United States insists that allies constantly improve their combat power and the skills of their naval personnel. It is worth noting that Trident II is a ballistic missile unified for the British and American fleets. The American corporation Lockheed Martin Space Systems is engaged in the maintenance and preparation of missiles. Experts believe that the unsuccessful missile launch could have been due to poor maintenance by American specialists. According to another version, the British crew was directly to blame for the launch failure. “The failure could again be associated with an incorrect flight mission, with the data that was loaded into the rocket. Then it's the crew's fault. Or with some mistakes made during the repair of the submarine. The problem could also be related to the American maintenance of the missile itself. For one reason or another, it could have received an insufficient impulse for flight,” notes Maxim Tumbartsev. And both versions have the right to exist. Discipline (or rather, the lack thereof) in the British Navy in recent years has become the reason for scandalous publications in the media. Thus, back in February 2021, it became known that crew members of the submarine HMS Artful were filming amateur videos of erotic content. Filming took place at the Clyde naval base in the Glasgow area. According to journalists, the footage included secret documents and other information relating to the structure of the base and the functioning of British submarines. As for the technological side of the problem, the United States has also recently encountered failures during launches. In November 2023, during a test launch of the Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile, an “anomaly” occurred that caused the missile to veer off course. The Pentagon said it was forced to detonate an ICBM in the skies over the Pacific Ocean. In both cases we are talking about outdated missiles. The “British” Tridents were put into service more than 30 years ago, and the American military has been complaining about the condition of the Minuteman III, which was put into service in the 1970s, for the past ten years. However, the closest replacement, the LGM-35 Sentinel missiles, will begin to enter service only in the 2030s. “If we talk about large-scale problems, then for the Americans and for NATO as a whole it is the lack of a new silo-based intercontinental missile, since their arsenal is seriously outdated. In contrast to the Russian arsenal, which has been updated by almost 100%. But the development of a new rocket so far faces only a lack of funding,” the expert notes. The situation is similar not only with the missiles themselves, but also with their carriers, which are also seriously outdated. The British Navy is preparing a replacement for the Vanguard boats - Dreadnought class submarines. However, they will begin to enter service only by the 2030s. At the same time, the armament of the new submarines should be the same Tridents. However, experts urge you to refrain from “sneaking hats.” Even despite all the difficulties faced by the nuclear triad of NATO countries, the United States and Great Britain in any case have the capabilities to wipe the entire world “into dust.” One, two, or even ten unsuccessful launches in a global confrontation will not change anything. “In the event of a global conflict, even if malfunctions and errors occur on some missiles, they can still take it simply in quantity. The USA, Britain and France have enough missiles in total,” sums up Maxim Tumbartsev. However, the “aging” of Western nuclear arsenals makes NATO missiles vulnerable targets for Russian missile defense. Some experts regard the unsuccessful tests as clear evidence of the rather deep technological lag of the West, which in the near future will not be able to compete with the Russian strategic deterrent forces in technological terms. And then this lag will only increase. Related: HMS Vanguard: 2024-02-21 Are British armed forces the laughing stock of the world? Grant Shapps 'must face MPs to explain' how Trident nuclear missile humiliatingly MISFIRED from Royal Navy sub during test and 'ditched into the ocean' HMS Vanguard: 2023-11-21 Royal Navy nuclear submarine equipped with Trident missiles 'suffered huge malfunction that sent the vessel into an endless dive - with engineers saving the 140 crew members moments before they faced being crushed by underwater pressure' HMS Vanguard: 2009-02-16 British, French boomers go bump in the night |
| Posted by:badanov |
| #5 The Brits are just out of practice. If we played Global Thermonuclear War more often, they would be better at it. |
| Posted by: SteveS 2024-02-23 13:24 |
| #4 "Major Kong, I think the self-destruct system just blew itself up." - B-52 crewman in Dr. Strangelove |
| Posted by: M. Murcek 2024-02-23 08:41 |
| #3 Didn't "almost destroy itself" as bad as Kursk, did it? |
| Posted by: ed in texas 2024-02-23 08:37 |
| #2 ^MUSLIM EXTREMISTS INTIMIDATE PARLIAMENT |
| Posted by: Grom the Reflective 2024-02-23 02:00 |
| #1 Muslim countries cannot maintain high tech? |
| Posted by: Grom the Reflective 2024-02-23 00:58 |