A test of Britain’s nuclear deterrent system ended in failure for the second time.
- A test of Britain’s nuclear deterrent system ended in failure for the second time.
- The incident involved a $70 million Trident missile that both the US and UK have in their arsenal.
The British navy suffered an embarrassing flop after a failed test launch of a Trident nuclear missile was revealed.
According to an unidentified source cited by The Sun newspaper, which broke the story of the failure first, the 58-ton missile “left the submarine but it just went plop, right next to them.” It said that the incident happened on January 30 during a Florida-related incident.
According to reports, the problem was brought on by the booster rockets malfunctioning, but for reasons of national security, no additional information was disclosed.
In a statement, Defense Secretary Grant Shapps said, “On this occasion, an anomaly did occur, but it was event specific and there are no implications for the reliability of the wider Trident missile systems and stockpiles.”
This is the second time in a row that the Royal Navy’s test launch of a Trident missile has ended poorly. The missile misfired in the 2016 test, strayed toward the US shore, and then destroyed itself. It was intended to go toward a region of the Atlantic Ocean near the African coast.
