UK to Test First Nuclear Missile Since 2016 Failure
In a significant development, the Royal Navy is preparing to test its first nuclear missile since a failed launch in 2016. The £4 billion HMS Vanguard, which recently underwent a £500 million upgrade that extended three years beyond the initial plan, is set to carry out the launch for its final test before re-entering service as part of the UK’s nuclear deterrent fleet. This submarine is one of only four nuclear submarines in the Royal Navy.
The 60-ton missile is scheduled to be fired from a position 56 miles off the east coast of the US in the coming days. The target area is situated in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean between Brazil and West Africa, approximately 3,700 miles from the launch site.
The US National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency has issued a “hazardous operations” warning to ships in the wider region, cautioning them to avoid the intended target area. Debris from the test is expected to fall in designated areas around the target. The warning has been in effect since 9 p.m. on January 30 and will remain in place until 4 a.m. on February 4.
This marks the first test of a Trident nuclear-capable warhead by the Royal Navy since a malfunction occurred during a test in 2016. On that occasion, the missile flew in the wrong direction, prompting concerns about the system's reliability. It has been nearly 12 years since the UK has conducted a successful test of this nature.
During the 2016 incident, HMS Vengeance fired an unarmed Trident II DB ballistic missile at a remote position in the southern Atlantic off the coast of West Africa, but the missile veered off course and flew over the US before self-destructing in the air. Defense sources indicated that the issue was related to the relay of incorrect information rather than a fault in the projectile itself.
In a separate revelation last year, it was disclosed that an investigation had been launched after workers on the HMS Vanguard glued broken bolts back together in a nuclear reactor chamber. The repairs to vital cooling pipes were discovered only when one bolt fell off during checks aboard the submarine.
The 30-year-old, 16,000-ton submarine has undergone a refit in Plymouth for seven years and was recently pictured sailing from Port Canaveral in Florida on Tuesday morning, according to reports from The Sun. The upcoming nuclear missile test will undoubtedly be closely monitored by military experts and stakeholders worldwide.
