The U.S. Navy fired off two Trident 2 D-5 nuclear-capable ballistic missiles in early September, increasing the count of consecutive successful tests of the submarine-launched weapon to 129, defense contractor Lockheed Martin announced last week (see GSN, May 21).
“These successful missile tests again demonstrate the readiness and reliability of the entire Trident 2 D-5 Strategic Weapon System,” Melanie Sloane, vice president of Fleet Ballistic Missile programs at Lockheed Martin Space Systems Co., said in a statement. The Lockheed branch is the leading contractor for the Navy Trident missile program.
The Navy regularly evaluates the reliability of the weapons in accordance with Defense Department regulations.
The Trident 2 D-5 is carried by U.S. and British submarines; it can fly roughly 4,000 nautical miles and is armed with multiple independently targeted re-entry vehicles (Lockheed Martin Corp. release, Oct. 21).