US Navy conducts test of Trident II D5 submarine-launched ballistic missile

News, US October 3, 2023 , by IRIA No Comments

United States Navy successfully test-launched its Trident II D5 Life Extension Fleet Ballistic Missile (FBM). The Navy conducted Demonstration and Shakedown Operation-32 (DASO-32) and launched an unarmed submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) from the Pacific Ocean off the coast of California.

During the DASO-32 exercise, the U.S. Navy demonstrated the readiness of the USS Louisiana (SSBN-743) crew and certified the submarine for deployment. The test of the D5 SLBM marked the 191 successful launch test.

The D5 missile was built and upgraded by leading American defense manufacturer Lockheed Martin. It is the most advanced ballistic missile in the world and is currently aboard U.S. OHIO-class and UK VANGUARD-class submarines.

According to the Lockheed Martin statement, “The three-stage, solid-propellant, inertial-guided ballistic missile can travel a nominal range of 4,000 nautical miles and carries multiple independently targeted reentry vehicles.”

Vice president of Fleet Ballistic Missiles at Lockheed Martin, Jerry Mamrol said, “We are proud of Lockheed Martin’s nearly seven decades of partnership with the U.S. Navy to develop advanced weapon capabilities to deter threats to our nation and allies.”

Mamrol further highlighted that “As the Navy turns towards the future of sea-based strategic deterrence, our new generation of engineers and technicians are poised to meet the challenges of this next era. Lockheed Martin is already preparing and modernizing the missile for its future launch platform, COLUMBIA-class submarines.”

US Trident II D5 ballistic missile — *^{An unarmed Trident II D5 missile launches from the Ohio-class ballistic missile submarine USS Louisiana (SSBN 743). (Image Credit: U.S. Navy)}*

The Lockheed Martin statement added that “The Life Extension program modernized the submarine-launched ballistic missile while maintaining the proven performance of the D5 missile for significantly less than the cost of designing a new missile.”

The solid rocket motor of the missile was powered by U.S. defense firm Northrop Grumman. The company is also “modernizing and digitizing Trident II D5 manufacturing processes, including the implementation of advanced digital models, to further enhance manufacturing and enable sustained production for future demand,” Northrop Grumman said in a statement.

Northrop Grumman’s vice president of propulsion systems, Wendy Williams said that the company’s strategic motors have provided propulsion success for the successful test launch of the missile. Williams added, “That is the kind of performance the Navy has come to rely upon to meet national defense readiness with Northrop Grumman solid rocket motor technology to power the Trident II Submarine Launched Ballistic Missiles.”

The Trident II D5 is the latest generation of the U.S. Navy’s submarine-launched fleet ballistic missiles and it was first deployed in 1990. The Navy has received more than two thousand Trident II D5 motors and cast nearly 87 million pounds of propellant since the production of the missile began in 1985.