A Trident II launch from a submerged submarine. |
|
| Function | SLBM |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | Lockheed Martin Space Systems |
| Size | |
| Height | 13.41 metres (44.0 ft) |
| Diameter | 2.11 metres (83 in) |
| Mass | 58,500 kilograms (129,000 lb) |
| Stages | 3 |
| Launch history | |
| Status | Active |
| Launch sites | LC-46, Cape Canaveral Ohio class submarines Vanguard class submarines |
| Maiden flight | 1987-01-15[1] |
UGM-133 Trident II, or Trident D5 is a submarine-launched ballistic missile, built by Lockheed Martin Space Systems in Sunnyvale, California, and deployed with the US Navy and Royal Navy. It was first deployed in 1990, and is still in service.
Trident II was designed to be more sophisticated than Trident I, and have a greater payload capacity. It is accurate enough to be used as a first strike weapon. All three stages of the Trident II are made of graphite epoxy, making the missile much lighter than its predecessor. Trident II missiles are carried by US Ohio class and British Vanguard class submarines. USS Tennessee was the first submarine to be armed with Trident IIs. Trident II missiles are currently carried by fourteen Ohio class, and four Vanguard class SSBNs. There have been 135 consecutive successful test flights of the D5 missile since 1989, with the most recent being from USS Nevada on 1 March 2011 as the concluding action of US Trident D5 DASO-22 [2]
The development contract for Trident II was issued in October 1983. The first Trident II launch occurred in January 1987, and the first submarine launch was attempted by USS Tennessee (SSBN-734, the first D-5 ship of the Ohio class) in March 1989. The launch attempt failed because the plume of water following the missile rose to greater height than expected, resulting in water being in the nozzle when the motor ignited. Once the problem was understood relatively simple changes were very quickly made but the problem delayed the IOC (Initial Operational Capability) of Trident II until March 1990.[3]
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