LONDON (Agencies): In a recent test-firing off the coast of Florida, a British nuclear submarine launched an unarmed Trident missile, only to witness an unexpected outcome.
The incident occurred during a routine drill, observed by Defence Secretary Grant Shapps. The missile, which carried fake warheads, splashed back into the Atlantic Ocean after launch. The UK government confirmed that the error was “event specific,” implying that it would have succeeded had it been carrying an actual nuclear warhead. However, due to national security concerns, no further details were disclosed.
The technical glitch occurred when the missile’s first-stage boosters failed to ignite after launch. According to an anonymous source, the missile left the submarine but fell into the ocean, failing to achieve its intended trajectory.
Despite this setback, Defence Secretary Shapps emphasized that there are no implications for the reliability of the broader Trident missile systems. The Trident system remains one of the most reliable weapons systems in the world.
This incident echoes a similar failure in 2016, when a Trident test missile veered off course. Each Trident weapon comes with an estimated cost of £17 million ($21.5 million).