England has failed its second nuclear test in eight years. Deterrence is questioned

The Trident ballistic missile crashed shortly after being launched from the nuclear powered submarine HMS Vanguard. The British government guarantees it is an “event-specific” incident

The United Kingdom has failed a nuclear test for the second time in eight years, casting doubt on its true nuclear deterrent capability.

Sun tabloid reported this information. The exercise took place off the coast of Florida on 30 January and was attended by British Defense Minister Grant Shabbs aboard the nuclear submarine HMS Vanguard.

According to a British publication, the British Navy carried out the first steps of the exercise normally, culminating in the launch of the Trident 2 ballistic missile. The missile's booster rockets were not used in the first seconds of the launch. Trident 2 falls a few meters away from the launch site and activates.

“It was launched from a submarine but it went down next to them,” an anonymous source told The Sun. The missile was expected to fly about six thousand kilometers and land in the Atlantic Ocean between Brazil and West Africa.

A previous test conducted in June 2016 also failed, when the missile veered off the planned trajectory and self-destructed.

According to the GuardianThe British Ministry of Defense had not planned to release a report on the failed launch, but was “forced” to do so after the Sun report. The British government said an “irregularity occurred” during the exercise, but the incident was “case specific.”

“There is no impact on the reliability of the Trident missile systems and its arsenal. (…) The United Kingdom's nuclear deterrent capability continues to be secure and effective.” Minister Grand Shops said in a statement.

However, the Labor Party characterized the incident as “worrying”. “Labour's support for the UK's nuclear deterrent is absolute. We recognize the exceptional service of those who have maintained our continuous deterrence at sea for more than 50 years. The reports of failed tests are worrying,” the shadow defense minister said. Government, John Healy, quoted by The Sun.

Each unit of the Trident 2, also known as the Trident T5, manufactured by Lockheed Martin, costs around 30 million euros. According to the House of Commons, as cited by CNN International, maintaining the inventory of these missiles shared with the United States cost about 14 million euros in 2015.

According to the same source, in a report covering the years 2023 and 2024, the cost of maintaining the United Kingdom's nuclear deterrent capabilities is 3.5 billion euros, or 6% of the country's defense budget.

The current four Vanguard-class submarines, which entered service in 1992, are expected to be replaced by four new Dreadnought-class submarines in the early 2030s. Billions of euros in the move.