British submarine to test fire nuclear missile in the Atlantic
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Britain will in the coming days test fire a nuclear missile for the first time in eight years.
A warning was issued to shipping that a test would be carried out as HMS Vanguard, a 16,000-tonne Trident submarine, arrived in the Atlantic.
The test, which will involve a dummy warhead, will be carried out by Feb 4 around 90km off Florida’s east coast, with a range of 5,900km.
The last time the UK fired a nuclear weapon was in 2016, when a Trident II D5 missile veered off course while being tested off the coast of Florida.
As first reported by The Sun, the missile firing will be the last test before the £4 billion submarine re-enters service as part of the UK’s nuclear deterrent fleet, having been in refit in Plymouth for seven years.
Although such tests are planned in advance and are not a direct response to geopolitical activities, it comes as the crisis in the Red Sea has intensified.
Earlier this week, Grant Shapps, the Defence Secretary, met with his US defence and national security counterparts to discuss events in the region and how to tackle shared threats.
Photo: Nuclear submarine HMS Vanguard arrives back at HM Naval Base Clyde, Faslane, Scotland following a patrol.CPOA(Phot) Tam McDonald – Defence Imagery/wikipedia
