The U.S. Navy tested a Trident II ballistic missile without a warhead. The launch was from an Ohio class Maine submarine off the coast of San Diego in California.
“A test launch today confirmed the performance expectations of the Trident II (5DLE) extended life rocket and allowed us to collect additional data on the reliability, accuracy, and characteristics of the strategic weapons system,” the U.S. Navy said in a statement.
Prior to this, the United States conducted a test launch of four Trident II D5 in September 2019 from the strategic nuclear submarine Nebraska. The first two missiles with an unarmed warhead were launched on September 4, and two more on September 6.
Trident II - sea-based intercontinental ballistic missile with a range of 7.8-11.3 thousand km. It is operated by the American military since 1989. It was planned to withdraw from service in 2024, but then it was decided to extend its service life. At the moment, this is the only missile in the US and British Navy that can carry a nuclear warhead.
In late January, it became known that the United States began to equip Trident II missiles with new low-power atomic charges W76-2. US Deputy Secretary of Defense for Political Affairs John Rood said equipping the W76-2 with Trident II ballistic missiles supposedly reduces the risk of nuclear war. A defense spokesman referred to the Nuclear Posture Review (NPR), which defines the US long-term strategy for nuclear weapons, in which Russia is listed as a "potential adversary." Rood expressed the view that the presence of such warheads would help persuade Russia not to risk the unleashing of a nuclear conflict.
The Russian Foreign Ministry said that Moscow is "with great concern" reacting to the deployment by the American side of new nuclear warheads W76-2. Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov noted that “the appearance on the strategic carriers of the United States of low-power charges” means that the American side does not exclude the possibility of a nuclear conflict unleashing. He explained that Moscow does not see US actions as a threat to its security, but is concerned about the concepts that Americans use in the nuclear field.
The U.S. began production of the first batch of W76-2 nuclear warheads in January 2019. It is worth noting that Moscow has previously expressed concern about the new US nuclear strategy, which provides for an increase in the role of nuclear weapons due to the deployment of "low-power" charges. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that this leads to a lower threshold for the use of nuclear weapons.
W76-2 are manufactured at Pantex in Texas and are based on the W76-1. The new warhead has a capacity of 5-6 kilotons, while the W76-1 has an estimated capacity of 100 kilotons. It is worth noting that the Pentagon currently has 14 Ohio-class strategic submarines that carry 24 Trident II ballistic missiles.
- Submarine Maine
- © Wikimedia commons
Doctor of Military Sciences, retired 1st-Class Captain Konstantin Sivkov, in a conversation with RT, called the past launches an ordinary event. He added that enough rockets had already been launched in the United States to equip all Ohio-class submarines, which are the main strike force of US strategic nuclear forces.
“Therefore, they are given special attention. Any rocket has a certain service life. At its expiration, it can be extended based on the results of relevant missile research for their suitability. Such studies include several components. Including test launches of one or two selective missiles. On the one hand, these launches are carried out as test launches, and on the other, as part of the planned combat training of the fleet’s forces, ”he explained.
Military expert Alexei Leonkov also called the tests planned, but noted that the United States has planned $ 1.5 trillion to modernize its entire nuclear arsenal.
“In the US budget, which was adopted for 2020, just for Trident II missiles there is a very serious amount. They will not only upgrade the fleet of these missiles there, but will also deploy new warheads. This is a sea-based missile, they will be included in the arsenal of all submarines that the United States has in service. This year they are planning a major upgrade, replacement and maintenance. They are engaged in planned work on their nuclear shield. But it’s not clear what could be hiding behind such serious sums of money, ”said the expert.