Awkward! British nuclear submarine failed to test Trident missile again

　　China News Service, February 22 (Xinhua) According to the British "Sun", a British Royal Navy nuclear submarine failed to test-fire the "Trident II" missile at the end of January. This was the second consecutive test-fire of this type of missile in eight years. A malfunction occurred.

Image source: Screenshot of the British "Sun" report

　　According to the "Sun" report, the British Royal Navy's "Vanguard" nuclear submarine conducted a "Trident II" missile launch exercise in the waters near Florida, the United States, on January 30. However, the first stage propeller of the launched missile failed. It failed to ignite as planned, causing the 58-ton missile (equipped with a dummy warhead) to fall into the sea.

　　"The missile left the submarine but then plopped down next to it," one source said.

　　At that time, British Defense Secretary Grant Shapps personally boarded the "Pioneer" and watched the test launch.

　　The British Ministry of Defense also confirmed that an "abnormal situation" occurred when the nuclear submarine was conducting exercises in the waters near Florida.

　　The ministry said in a statement to The Sun: "Vanguard and its crew have proven fully capable of operating the UK's maritime deterrent. This test once again confirms the effectiveness of the UK's nuclear deterrent. We have absolute confidence in the performance of There is no impact on the reliability of Trident missile systems and inventories."

　　Since the Trident II missile entered service with the Royal Navy in 1994, the UK has launched 12 missiles.

But the last two launched failed.

In June 2016, a "Trident II" missile was launched from the British Royal Navy's "Revenge" nuclear submarine. Its propeller ignited successfully, but soon after the missile deviated from its flight path and eventually initiated its self-destruction procedure.

The missiles are said to cost up to £17 million each.

　　Reuters stated that the two consecutive failures were "an embarrassing result for a country that once had the most powerful naval power in the world."

　　Just earlier this month, the British aircraft carrier "Queen Elizabeth" also encountered an embarrassing scene due to "laying down" in battle.

The aircraft carrier was originally scheduled to depart on February 4 to participate in NATO's "Steadfast Defender 2024" exercise. However, a problem with the propeller was discovered during a last-minute inspection before departure, and it was ultimately unable to make the trip.