| UGM-133A Trident II | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Type | SLBM |
| Place of origin | United States |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1990–present |
| Used by | United States Navy Royal Navy |
| Production history | |
| Manufacturer | Lockheed Martin Space |
| Unit cost | $30.9 million (1987 USD)[1] ($85.5 million in 2024 dollars) |
| Produced | 1983 |
| Specifications | |
| Mass | 130,000 lb (59,000 kg)[2] |
| Length | 44 ft 6.6 in (13.579 m) |
| Diameter | 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) (1st stage)[2] |
| Warhead | United States 1–8 Mk-5RV/W88 (475 kt) or 1–12 Mk-4 RV/W76-0 (100 kt) or 1–12 Mk-4A RV/W-76-1 (90 kt) or Mk-7 RV/W93 (planned)[3] Single or multipleW76-2 (5–7 kt)[4][5] United Kingdom Mk-4A RV/Holbrook (100 kt) Mk-7 RV/A21 Astraea (planned) |
| Engine | Threesolid-fuel rocket motors; first & second stage –Thiokol/Hercules solid-fueled rocket; third stage – United Technologies Corp. solid-fueled rocket[6] |
| Propellant | NEPE-75:[7]Nitrate ester, plasticizedpolyethylene glycol-boundHMX,aluminum,ammonium perchlorate |
Operational range | More than 7,500 mi (12,000 km)[8][9] (exact is classified)[10] |
| Maximum speed | Approximately 18,030 mph (29,020 km/h) (Mach 24; 8,060 m/s)[2] (terminal phase) |
Guidance system | MK 6astro-inertial guidance[2][11] |
Steering system | Single movable nozzle actuated by a gas generator |
| Accuracy | 100 m[12][13] |
Launch platform | Ballistic missile submarine |
TheUGM-133A Trident II, orTrident D5 is asubmarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM), built byLockheed Martin Space inSunnyvale, California, and deployed with theUnited States Navy andRoyal Navy. It was first deployed in March 1990,[6] and remains in service. The Trident II Strategic Weapons System is an improved SLBM with greater accuracy, payload, and range than the earlierTrident C-4. It is a key element of the U.S. strategicnuclear triad and strengthens U.S.strategic deterrence. The Trident II is considered to be a durable sea-based system capable of engaging many targets. It has payload flexibility that can accommodate various treaty requirements, such asNew START. The Trident II's increased payload allows nuclear deterrence to be accomplished with fewersubmarines,[14] and its high accuracy—approaching that ofland-based missiles—enables it to be used as afirst strike weapon.[15][16][17]
Trident II missiles are carried by 14 USOhio and 4 BritishVanguard-class submarines, with 20 missiles on eachOhio class and 16 missiles on eachVanguard class (the number of missiles onOhio-class submarines was reduced from 24 to 20 by 2017),[18][19] in compliance with theNew Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty). There have been 215 total test launches of the D5, with 207 successes. 196 launches were from the sea: 191 successes and 5 failures. 181 of the successes and 3 of the failures were by the US, while 10 of the successes and 2 of the failures were by the UK. 19 launches were from land, all by the US, with 16 successes and 3 failures.[20] the most recent successful launch fromUSS Louisiana (SSBN-743) on 27 September 2023.[21] There have been 8 test flights that were failures,[22] the most recent being fromHMS Vanguard off the coast of Florida in January 2024.[23] The D5 is the sixth in a series of missile generations deployed since the sea-based deterrent program began 60 years ago. TheTrident D5LE (life-extension) version will remain in service until 2042.[24]
The Trident II was designed with greater range and payload capacity than its predecessor (Trident C-4). In 1972, the US Navy projected aninitial operating capability (IOC) date of 1984. The US Navy shifted the IOC date to 1982. On 18 October 1973, a Trident program review was administered. On 14 March 1974, the US Deputy Secretary of Defense disseminated two requirements for the Trident program. The first was an accuracy improvement for the Trident C-4. The second requirement asked for an alternative to the C-4, or a new Trident II missile with a larger first-stage motor than the C-4.
The U.S. Navy conducted studies to determine whether the more expensive Trident II could be constructed similarly to the US Air Force'sMX ICBM, primarily to decrease budget costs. It was established that the Trident II would be 83 inches (210 cm) in diameter and 44 feet (13 m) in length in order to match the performance of the existingMX ICBM. Modifications to the guidance system, electronics hardening, and external protective coatings were incorporated into the design. While this satisfied the Navy's study requirements, it did not accommodate the US Air Force payload requirements.
Propulsion stages were proposed to be used between the first stage and second stage motors, effectively making the Trident II a longer three-stage missile than the C-4. Studies were delayed in 1978 when Congress approved only $5 million of the suggested $15 million for the Navy and Air Force program studies. By December 1978, the Navy's and the Air Force's own studies agreed with each other that a similar missile structure would not achieve desired savings. It was determined that the Navy and Air Force would maintain and be responsible for their own unique weapon systems. The US Navy continued with its own design of the Trident II.
In March 1980,US Secretary of DefenseHarold Brown proposed an increased level of funding for the submarine-launched ballistic missile modernization, emphasizing increased accuracy. TheHouse Armed Services Committee (HASC) recommended no funding, while theSenate Armed Services Committee (SASC) recommended full funding of $97 million. The SASC asked for a plan incorporating "the fullest possible competition . . . [and] should consider competing among contractors for each major component, including the integrated missile." $65 million was awarded for the submarine-launched ballistic missile modernization.
On 2 October 1981, President Reagan called for the modernization of the strategic forces.[25] The Defense Department directed the Navy to fund all development of the Trident II D5 missile with a December 1989 IOC. All research and development efforts would be directed toward "a new development, advanced technology, high accuracy Trident II D5 system." In December 1982,Deputy SECDEFFrank Carlucci advised the Secretary of DefenseCaspar Weinberger to include funding for a new reentry vehicle–warhead combination for Trident II. The reentry vehicle was to be designated as theMk 5, which was to have a greater yield than the Mk 4. The development contract for Trident II was issued in October 1983. On 28 December 1983, the deputy SECDEF authorized the Navy to proceed with full-scale engineering development of the Trident II D5.
An initial series of 19 land-based Trident II launches took place fromCape Canaveral Launch Complex 46 from 15 January 1987 to 27 January 1989.[26] The first submarine launch was attempted byUSS Tennessee,[2] the first D-5 ship of theOhio class, on 21 March 1989 off the coast ofCape Canaveral, Florida. The launch attempt failed four seconds into the flight because the plume of water following the missile rose to a greater height than expected, and water was in the nozzle when the motor ignited. Once the problem was understood, relatively simple changes were quickly made, but the problem delayed the initial operating capability of Trident II until March 1990.[6][27] IOC for Strategic Weapons Facility Pacific (SWFPAC) was completed on schedule in 2001, allowing Trident II SSBN to be deployed in the Pacific theater.
In 1980,the United Kingdom adopted theTrident I C-4 missile as the central part of itsnuclear deterrent,[28] but never took delivery. In 1982, the US and the UK again modified the Polaris Sales Agreementreplacing the Trident I C4 with the Trident II D4 missile, with the UK taking delivery of its first missile in 1994.
The Trident II is athree-stage rocket, each stage containing asolid-fuel rocket motor. The first motor is made byNorthrop Grumman. This first stage incorporates a solid propellant motor, parts to ensure first-stage ignition, and athrust vector control (TVC) system. The first-stage section, compared to theTrident C-4, is slightly larger, allowing increased range and a larger payload. In addition to a larger motor, the D-5 uses an advanced and lighter fuel binder (polyethylene glycol) than the C-4.[29] This fuel is more commonly known asNEPE-75. (NEPE stands fornitrate ester plasticized polyether, the 75 represents that the fuel contains 75% solids.)[30][31][7] The solid components bound by fuel binder areHMX,aluminum, andammonium perchlorate.[7]
Both the first- and second-stage motors are connected by an interstage casing, which contains electronic equipment and ordnance for separation during flight. The second stage also contains a motor made by Thiokol and Hercules Inc., parts to ensure the second-stage ignition, and a TVC system. The first and second stages are both important to the structural integrity of the missile. To ensure that the stages maintain a maximal strength-to-weight ratio, both stages are reinforced by acarbon-fiber-reinforced polymer hull.[30]
The second and third-stage sections are connected by an integrated equipment/adapter section (ES). The equipment/adapter section is modified to be shorter and more compact than the C-4's adapter section.[29] The D-5's equipment section contains critical guidance and flight control avionics, such as the Mk 6 navigation system. The equipment section also contains the third-stage TVC system, ordnance for ejecting from the second-stage motor, and the MIRV platform. The nose fairing shields the payload and third-stage motor. Mounted within the nose cap (above the nose fairing) is an extendableaerospike.[32] This aerospike effectively decreases drag by 50%. The third-stage hull is also reinforced bycarbon fiber andkevlar.[30]
The Trident II is the first missile of theUS Navy's Fleet Ballistic Missile program to incorporate a3D printed component.[33]
While Lockheed Martin is the prime contractor, a variety of corporations work on the Trident II. For example, in October 2020, Boeing was contracted for maintenance, rebuilding and technical services for the Trident II navigation subsystem,[34] and Northrop Grumman was contracted for engineering support and integration for the Trident II and relevant submarines at sites and shipyards from Sunnyvale, California, and Bangor, Washington, to Kings Bay, Georgia, and Cape Canaveral, Florida, among other locales.[34] Peraton was contracted for program support services on the Trident II reentry subsystem,[35] and Systems Planning & Analysis Inc. was contracted for Trident II technical services, program support, assessments, special studies, and systems engineering.[34]
Before the launch sequence is initiated, the on-board MARK 6 navigation system is activated. The specified mission trajectory is loaded onto the flight computer.[36]
Once the launch command is given, a steam generator system is activated, igniting a gas generator[37] whose exhaust is fed into cooling water, causing expanding gas within the launch tube to force the missile upward, and out of thesubmarine.[37] Within seconds, the missile breaches the surface of the water and the first-stageThrust Vectoring Control (TVC) subsystem ignites. This enables hydraulic actuators attached to the first-stage nozzle. Soon after, the first-stage motor ignites and burns for approximately 65 seconds until the fuel is expended; in addition, anaerospike atop the missile deploys shortly after first-stage ignition to shape airflow. When the first-stage motor ceases operation, the second-stage TVC subsystem ignites. The first-stage motor is then ejected by ordnance within the interstage casing.[38][39]
Once the first stage is cleared, the second-stage motor ignites and burns for approximately 65 seconds. Thenose fairing is then jettisoned, separating from the missile. When the nose fairing is clear of the missile, the third-stage TVC subsystem ignites, and ordnance separates the second-stage motor. The third-stage motor then ignites, pushing the equipment section the remaining distance (approx. 40 seconds) of the flight. When the third-stage motor reaches the targeted area, the Post Boost Control System (PBCS) ignites, and the third-stage motor is ejected.
Theastro-inertial guidance usesstar positioning to fine-tune the accuracy of theinertial guidance system after launch. As the accuracy of a missile is dependent upon the guidance system knowing the exact position of the missile at any given moment during its flight, the fact that stars are a fixed reference point from which to calculate that position makes this a potentially very effective means of improving accuracy. In the Trident system, this was achieved by a single camera that was designed to spot just one star in its expected position. If it was not quite aligned to where it should be, it would indicate that the inertial system was not precisely on target and a correction would be made.[40]
The equipment section, with theMIRV, then aims the reentry vehicles (RV) towards the earth. The payload is then released from the MIRV platform. To prevent the PBCS correctional thrust from interfering with the RV when released, the equipment section initiates the Plume Avoidance Maneuver (PAM). If the RV will be disrupted by the PBCS nozzle's thrust, the nearest nozzle will shut off until the RV is away from the MIRV. The PAM is used only when a nozzle's plume will disrupt the area near an RV. The PAM is a specialized design feature added to the Trident II to increase accuracy.[38]
In US service Trident II can be loaded with up to eight Mk-5RVs with 475-ktW88 warheads, up to twelve Mk-4A RVs with 90-ktW76-1 warheads, and up to twelve Mk-4A RVs with 5–7-ktW76-2 warheads.[citation needed] In practice, each missile on average carries four warheads due to the warhead limitations placed by theNew START treaty.[41]
The system previously carried the Mk-4 RV with a 100 kt W76-0 warhead, but beginning in September 2008 W76-0s were converted to W76-1s. This process was completed by December 2018.[42] Conversion from the W76-0 to W76-1 involved fitting the warheads with a new RV (the Mk-4A), replacing age limited components and fitting the warhead with a new MC4700 arming, fusing and firing (AF&F) system. The MC4700 AF&F system (dubbed the "super fuze") significantly improves warhead kill probabilities against hardened targets such as silos or bunkers. The W76-2 is also fitted with the Mk-4A RV and MC4700 fuze.[43][3][44]
In theNational Nuclear Security Administration's 2021 budget request, the agency requested US$53m to begin development of a newW93 warhead for use on Trident II and US$32 million to begin development of a new Mk-7 RV. If approved, the W93 will be the first new nuclear weapon system to receive a type designation since the end of the Cold War. It is unclear if the W93 will replace the W76-1, the W88 or both warheads.[45]
In UK usage Trident II missiles are equipped with a warhead called Holbrook[46] and have a maximum yield of 100 kt.[47] The UK government claims the warhead is a British design, but analysts believe that it is largely based on the US W76 design.[46][48] In 2011 it was reported that British warheads would receive the new Mk 4A reentry vehicles and some or all of the other upgrades that US W76 warheads were receiving in their W76-1 Life Extension Program.[49] Some reports suggested that British warheads would receive the same arming, fusing and firing system (AF&F) as the US W76-1.[50] Under a 1958 agreement, the US supplies the UK with blueprints of its own warhead designs but the design, manufacture and maintenance of UK warheads are purely a UK responsibility. The British government'sAtomic Weapons Establishment is currently developing a new warhead, namedAstraea and designated A21/Mk7, to replace the existing Holbrook warhead. It will be the first British warhead to be developed without live tests and development will involve EPURE, a joint UK-French hydrodynamics facility in Valduc, France.[51]
| Mk-5 RVs | Throw-weight (kg) | D-5 range (km) | Increase in range (%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8 | 2,700[55] | 7,593 | nominal |
| 7 | 2,525 | 8,278 | 9 |
| 6 | 2,350 | 9,111 | 20 |
| 5 | 2,175 | 10,148 | 34 |
| 4 | 2,000 | 11,519 | 52 |
| 3 | 1,825 | 13,482 | 78 |
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TheRoyal Navy operates its missiles from a shared pool, together with the Atlantic squadron of theU.S. NavyOhio-class SSBNs atKing's Bay, Georgia. The pool is co-mingled and missiles are selected at random for loading on to either nation's submarines.[56][57]
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To provide the Trident II missiles required for flight tests and deployment on 20 submarines, the Administration currently plans to procure 844 missiles over 13 years. The cost in fiscal year 1987—for ongoing research and development and procurement of the first 21 missiles—would be $3.1 billion, of which $1.6 billion is for research and development. The cost in fiscal year 1987 dollars over the first five years of the program, during which 291 missiles would be procured, would be $13.4 billion. During that period, research and development of the missile would be completed at a cost of $3.4 billion. Finally, the total cost of development and procurement of the missile (fiscal years 1987 through 1999) would be about $26.1 billion (see Table 4).
By the end of the 1980s, however, the submarine-launched ballistic missile had turned another page. The accuracy of the Trident II (D-5) SLBM, planned as the replacement for the Trident I with Trident II deployments beginning in 1989, was comparable to that of the MX/Peacekeeper ICBM, the most accurate land-based missile in the U.S. strategic arsenal. Owing to its improved accuracy and larger payload compared to its SLBM predecessors, Trident II would be able to attack hardened targets in the Soviet Union that were not previously vulnerable to sea-launched ballistic missiles. Although U.S. planners might assume that these strikes against hardened targets in the Soviet Union would be retaliatory attacks, a Soviet net-assessment of U.S. first-strike capabilities would have to include the improved sea-based missiles.
Although it is accurate enough for a 'first strike' weapon, successive governments have been adamant that the purpose of the current Trident system is as a 'deterrent' against nuclear or similarly cataclysmic attack on Britain. The Trident 'mission' is outlined by the Ministry of Defense: 'In a posture known as Continuous At Sea Defence (CASD), one submarine, armed with up to 16 Trident missiles and up to 48 warheads, is always on deterrent patrol 24 hours a day, 365 days a year' (MoD, 2006).
The Trident warheads also offer multiple yields - probably 0.3 kt, 5-10 kt and 100 kt - by choosing to fire the unboosted primary, the boosted primary or the entire "physics package".
Media related toUGM-133A Trident II D-5 at Wikimedia Commons
