Archived UK sub off Florida fired nuclear missile at US last year in test malfunction (independent.co.uk)
submitted ago by NeedleStack
Posted by: NeedleStack
Posting time: 3.9 years ago on
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Archived on: 4/23/2017 10:00:00 AM
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4 upvotes, 2 downvotes (67% upvoted it)
Archived UK sub off Florida fired nuclear missile at US last year in test malfunction (independent.co.uk)
submitted ago by NeedleStack
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[–] Owlchemy 0 points 4 points 4 points (+4|-0) ago (edited ago)
Big to do about nothing - LOL. Unarmed Trident ICBM ... test flights always are, and are quite frequently performed... off the coast of Florida. Being a test means that they were using our (US) telemetry for tracking/testing and therefore, we were part of the operation. That's how these work, so no surprise there. And I can't speak for Navy Tridents, but spent most of my life in land based Minuteman testing, so can assure anyone worried, failures happen ... that's why we test, to find problems that may occur and correct them. Test missiles are always, yes always, unarmed, and also fitted with something a real ICBM doesn't have. A destruct system. Every aspect of the flight, from pre-countdown thru arrival in its final phase of deployment is monitored via on board and ground based telemetry, and as soon as the slightest variance from norms is detected, or it veers off-course, it is detonated. Generally over water, even for land based ICBMs, and wouldn't expect that to be different for a Trident.
The only story here, from what I understand, is that Theresa May didn't inform Parliament, as Parliament was debating upgrades to their nuke subs. But to those worried about a nuclear tipped missile headed for Florida, not to worry, it never happened.
[–] NeedleStack [S] 0 points 1 point 1 point (+1|-0) ago
Uhhh ok, you guys seem to know what you're doing I guess lol.
Hiding the event in order to get approved funding is pretty sneaky and low.
[–] Owlchemy 0 points 3 points 3 points (+3|-0) ago
Can't disagree with that, but may be a mountain out of a molehill, also. Like I said, failures happen in testing. It could've been anyone of a hundred minor things, none of which we'll ever know, because such reports are classified for obvious reasons. This one, veering off course, sounds like a guidance and control problem, which on a complicated system such as a Trident could be anything from a tiny mechanical issue to a programming fault. They happen. Fortunately not that often, but that's why we test. To find the weak links and fix 'em for the fleet.
I guess all I was trying to say is that the article, as with all such things like this, never really has the whole story. It leaves those without a background in such things with the impression that an British ICBM was going to crash into Florida. The Brits are our allies ... the tests they conduct on such are done with our assistance (thus off Fla ... at sea, like somewhere near Cape Canaveral - AKA our Eastern Test Range) and we were a part of the planned activity from day one. And we have redundant safeguards in place. We do our own Sub launched ICBM testing there, as well as off the CA coast, where we test ground based ICBMs from Vandenberg AFB, AKA Western Test Range. Politics aside, this is a non-story, add the Theresa May aspect, it's a clickbait title to get readers, but not really what the story is about.