The unarmed missile is expected to be launched from the submarine from a point off the east coast of the US and fall about 6,000 kilometers away in the Atlantic between Brazil and west Africa
London, Thanasis Gavos
The first test firing of a nuclear weapon for almost eight years, the British Royal Navy has been planning to carry out in the Atlantic Ocean within days.
As the Sun newspaper reveals, nuclear submarine HMS Vanguard will launch a Trident 2 D5 missile; which is capable of carrying multiple nuclear warheads each with 20 times the power of the Hiroshima atomic bomb.
The unarmed missile is expected to be launched from the submarine from a point off the east coast of the US and fall about 6,000 kilometers away in the Atlantic between Brazil and west Africa.
The last time a similar test firing was attempted was in 2016, by the twin nuclear submarine HMS Vengeance;. However, the rocket deviated dangerously from its course, causing it to self-destruct.
The new firing comes amid warnings from British and NATO military officials that a Western war with Russia cannot be ruled out.
The 30-year-old, 150-metre-long, £4 billion HMS Vanguard it was decommissioned for seven years, during which time it underwent extensive upgrading work. On Tuesday morning, she was photographed sailing out of Port Canaveral, Florida.
It can carry 16 Trident 2 missiles weighing 60 tons each.
According to Sun, the US National Geospatial Intelligence Agency has a test firing shipping warning in effect until early Sunday morning (in effect from last Tuesday night).
Source :Skai
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