Missile Trident

The missile Trident , whose name is inspired by the Trident is a strategic sea-to-ground ballistic missile ( SLBM in English) armed with nuclear warheads and launched starting from nuclear submarine launcher of machines ( SSBN in English). The missiles are transported by fourteen Sous-marins of the Classe Ohio for the US Navy and, for the British missiles of the Royal Navy, four Sous-marins of the Classe Vanguard.

History

The Trident I (C4) was deployed in 1979 and gradually displaced since the years 1990 until the beginning of the year 2000. The deployment of Trident II (C5) began in 1990 and it is expected that it remains in service during the thirty years of life of the Sous-marins which it arms, that is to say until 2027.

The Trident missiles are provided to the the United Kingdom according to the clauses defined by the Polaris Sales Agreement of 1963, revised in 1982 for the Trident. The British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher had written with the President Carter on July 10th, 1980 to however require its approval as for the supply of missiles Trident I., Thatcher wrote in 1982 with the President Reagan to have the authorization to take part in the development of the system Trident II (D5 Trident), whose development had been accelerated by the US Navy. That was granted in 1982, and, according to the agreement, the the United Kingdom took part to a total value of 5% with the research and the development of the new missiles.

Prolongation of life of Trident II (D5)

It was decided into 2005 to prolong the service of the D5 missiles until 2042. That requires a program of extension, the D5 Life Extension Program , or D5LE, currently in hand. The main aim is to replace the obsolete components at a minimal cost, by buying the stock of material by the means of loans, while maintaining the performances of the missiles Trident II existing, which are not any more to show. In 2007, Lockheed Martin obtained contracts of a full value of 789,9 million dollars to answer this request, but also to improve the system of guidance and atmospheric Rentrée. The British Prime Minister Tony Blair declared that the subject would be discussed with the Parlement of the United Kingdom before a decision is made. December 4th, 2006, Tony Blair proposed with the Parliament to build a new generation of Sous-marins to transport existing the Trident missiles and to join the D5LE to give them on level.

Description

The launching of the missile is done of a Sous-marin in diving. The missile is ejected of its tube by gas pressure, generated by a “gas generator”, a rocket placed at the base of the tube heats a certain quantity of water which evaporates. Once the missile left the tube and rises above the Sous-marin, the first stage of the engine ignites, the aerodynamic point of the nose of the machine leaves its housing and the phase of push begins. Ideally, the missile is wrapped bubbles of gas during all its immersion, so that it is not at any time in contact with liquid. When the third stage of the engine ignites, in the two minutes which follow launching, speed is higher than 6000m/s.

The Trident was built in two versions: the Trident I (C4) UGM-96A and Trident II (D5) UGM-133A. The décominations C4 and D5 put the missiles in the same “family” which occurred with the missiles Polaris (A1, A2 and A3) and which continued in 1971 with the Poseidon. The two versions of the Trident are missiles on three floors, propelled by Propergol, with inertial Guidage with a range increased by the aerodynamic point, a telescopic extension which divides by two aerodynamic resistance. After the phase of push, the Trident uses optical sensors to update its positioning and to reduce the errors of drift inherent in all the systems of inertial Guidage.

Trident I (C4) UGM-96A

The huits first Sous-marins of Classe Ohio were built with the missile Trident I. Trident I also replaced the Poseidon in 12 Sous-marins of class James Madison and Benjamin Franklin.

Characteristic

Objective: nuclear deterrence
Originator: Lockheed Martin Space Systems
Propulsion: three stages of Propellent
Length: 10,2 m
Weight: 33142 kg
Diameter: 1,8 m
Carried: 7400 km
Guidance system: inertial, aimed stellar
STOCK: 380 m
Warheads: multiple nuclear warheads with independent targets, 8 W76 heads of 100 kt (Mark 4)
Cut-over date: 1979

Trident II (D5) UGM-133A

The second alternative of the Trident is sophisticated and can carry a more important load. It is enough precise to be used in “first strike”. The three stages are made out of carbon fiber, reducing the missile considerably. Trident II is the missile of origin on the underwater of class Vanguard British and on the underwater of class Ohio since the USS Tennessee (SSBN-734). The D5 missile is currently transported by twelve Sous-marins of Classe Ohio. To believe press releases of the company of them, 119 tests of sharpened of D5 were carried out successfully since 1985.

Characteristic

Objective: nuclear deterrence
Originator: Lockheed Martin Space Systems
unit costs: 30.9 million dollars
Propulsion: three stages of Propellent
Length: 13,41 m
Weight: 58500 kg
Diameter: 2,11 m
Carried: 11300 km
Maximum speed: 29030 km/h
Guidance system: inertial, stellar reference and GPS
STOCK: 90 m with GPS, 380 m with inertial
Warheads (for the the United States): multiple nuclear warheads with independent targets, to 8 W88 heads of 475 kt (Mark 5) or 8 W76 heads of 100 kt (Mark 4). Trident II could carry 12 of them, START I limits it to 8 and FATE to 4 or 5.
Cut-over date: 1990

Conventional Trident

In 2006, within the framework of a broader development strategy world of the capacities of fast striking called “ Prompt Total Strike ”, the Pentagone proposed the Conventional Trident Modification program to widen the range of the strategic options.

The program, estimated at 506 million dollars was to convert missiles Trident II (probably two by Sous-marin) into conventional Arme by equipping them with modified vectors of atmospheric Rentrée Mk4, equipped with GPS for navigation and a guidance system and with control of atmospheric Rentrée (correction of trajectory) to give him a precision to the impact of ten meters. No Explosif was supposed being used since the mass of the atmospheric vector of Rentrée and its speed Hypersonique with the impact would produce sufficient energy and “effect”. This solution offered the promise of strike conventional precise with an alarm at the enemy and a curtailed time of flight.

Principal the concern would have been to set up sufficient alarm systems so that the others nuclear powers do not take striking for a nuclear attack. Mainly for this reason, the project caused an important debate in front of the Congrès for the budget 2007, but also on the international scene. Russian President Vladimir Poutine, inter alia, prevented that the implementation of the project would increase the risk of a nuclear Guerre accidental: “the launching of such a missile a total counter-attack with use of the nuclear force”, declared in May 2006 could cause.

Renewal of the British fleet

May 14th, 2007, the British Gouvernement obtained the support of the House of Commons for its project of renewal of the system of Nuclear submarine. Between 15 and 20 billion books will be spent in new Sous-marins to transport the Trident missiles. One estimates at 17 years the time necessary with the development and the construction of the fleet, which should remain in service until 2050. More than 90 parliamentary of the Workers party voted against the proposal for an improvement of the system of missiles, and the vote was gained thanks to the support of the Conservative party.

Notes and sources

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