The U.S. Navy on Sunday tested an unarmed Trident II missile from the USS Maine for the second time in a week. The tests was carried out from an Ohio-class ballistic missile submarine that carries nuclear warheads.
The US Navy conducted its tests on the Western Test Range off the coast of San Diego.
Sunday’s launch marked 178 successful missile launches of the Trident II strategic weapon system, the Navy said.
The 45-foot-long missiles have a range of 4,000 nautical miles and carry either eight or 14 independently targetable thermonuclear warheads.
They are deployed on 14 Ohio-class submarines, each of which had 24 of the weapons. The submarines are nicknamed “boomers” because of their missiles’ destructive power.
211216-N-QI061-1222 NAVAL STATION MAYPORT, Fla. (December 16, 2021) An MQ-4C Triton Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS), assigned to Unmanned Patrol Squadron 19 (VUP-19), sits on the flight line at Naval Station Mayport, Florida, Dec. 16, 2021. VUP-19, the Navy’s first Triton squadron, will continue to maintain and operate the aircraft off the East Coast to further develop the concept of operations and refine tactics, techniques, and procedures. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Nathan T. Beard/ Released)