https://sputnikglobe.com/20240221/failed-trident-missile-launch-casts-doubt-on-us-and-uk-nuclear-capability-1116908317.html
Failed Trident Missile Launch Casts Doubt on US and UK Nuclear Capability
Failed Trident Missile Launch Casts Doubt on US and UK Nuclear Capability
The UK’s test on a Trident II missile with a dummy warhead has ended in ridicule after the ICBM crashed in the sea right next to the submarine that launched it after the missile’s first-stage boosters apparently failed to ignite.
2024-02-21T17:58+0000
2024-02-21T17:58+0000
2024-02-21T17:58+0000
analysis
military & intelligence
alexei leonkov
trident ii (d5) missile
nuclear weapons
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The UK’s test on a Trident II missile with a dummy warhead has ended in ridicule after the ICBM crashed in the sea right next to the submarine that launched it after the missile’s first-stage boosters apparently failed to ignite.The UK Defense Ministry promptly claimed that the British nuclear deterrent (comprised solely of the Trident II missiles) remains “effective” and attributed the launch failure to an “anomaly” of some sort.Commenting on this development, military analyst and editor of Arsenal Otechestva (Arsenal of the Fatherland) media outlet Alexei Leonkov pointed out that Trident II missiles are made in the United States, not in Britain.After the 2016 Trident II test launch when the missile ended up flying in the wrong direction, the UK invested considerable money and effort into rectifying the problems with these ICBS, all in vain if the 2024 test is any indication, Leonkov pointed out.He also observed that the US laboratory that was supposed to develop a new warhead for Trident II is yet to do so.He did note, however, that London may rectify this situation somewhat by deploying tactical nuclear weapons – namely, the US-made B61-12 nuclear bombs that could be delivered via the F-35 jets Britain bought from the United States.Meanwhile, the Russian nuclear arsenal has undergone significant upgrades since the end of the Cold War era, now featuring advanced weapons such as RS-28 Sarmat intercontinental ballistic missiles, Avangard hypersonic gliders and Bulava-M submarine-based ballistic missiles, to name a few.Noting that China, North Korea and India are working on improving their respective nuclear arsenals, Leonkov pointed out that Beijing, like Russia, also already has its own hypersonic gliding vehicle whereas neither the US nor UK can boast of any such success.“As far as NATO is concerned, only France has a relatively modern nuclear arsenal since 2015,” he added.
https://sputnikglobe.com/20240220/russia-always-against-deployment-of-nuclear-weapons-in-space—putin-1116893379.html
2024
News
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trident missile launch failure, uk nuclear weapons, us nuclear weapons
trident missile launch failure, uk nuclear weapons, us nuclear weapons
The recent Trident II ballistic missile launch by the British Royal Navy has, just as the one did back in 2016, ended in failure.
The UK Defense Ministry promptly claimed that the British nuclear deterrent (comprised solely of the Trident II missiles) remains “effective” and attributed the launch failure to an “anomaly” of some sort.
Commenting on this development, military analyst and editor of Arsenal Otechestva (Arsenal of the Fatherland) media outlet Alexei Leonkov pointed out that Trident II missiles are made in the United States, not in Britain.
“The thing is, the Americans haven’t made a single new nuclear warhead since 1991. Since then, the maintenance of both seaborne and silo-based missiles was conducted more on paper than in reality,” he claimed. “And here is the expected result – the American missiles do not fly.”
After the 2016 Trident II test launch when the missile ended up flying in the wrong direction, the UK invested considerable money and effort into rectifying the problems with these ICBS, all in vain if the 2024 test is any indication, Leonkov pointed out.
He also observed that the US laboratory that was supposed to develop a new warhead for Trident II is yet to do so.
“So there are new warheads. And the old ones – who knows what state they are currently in, whether they would work and if they do, whether they would produce the full blast yield,” Leonkov remarked, arguing that the nuclear weapon prowess of the United Kingdom today appears somewhat suspect.
He did note, however, that London may rectify this situation somewhat by deploying tactical nuclear weapons – namely, the US-made B61-12 nuclear bombs that could be delivered via the F-35 jets Britain bought from the United States.
Noting that China, North Korea and India are working on improving their respective nuclear arsenals, Leonkov pointed out that Beijing, like Russia, also already has its own hypersonic gliding vehicle whereas neither the US nor UK can boast of any such success.
“As far as NATO is concerned, only France has a relatively modern nuclear arsenal since 2015,” he added.
