Failure of Britain’s Trident II intercontinental ballistic missile launch from the nuclear submarine HMS Vanguard has raised concerns about the efficiency of the nation’s nuclear deterrent forces. This incident is viewed as a “shame for NATO” by Western media outlets.
Nevertheless, Western publications have highlighted that the failed launch raises doubts about the effectiveness of Britain’s nuclear deterrence.
The Sun tabloid pointed out that the unsuccessful Trident II intercontinental ballistic missile launch was due to a serious misfire.
Secretary of Defense Grant Shapps oversaw the launch personally from HMS Vanguard. The rocket was propelled using compressed gas in the launch tube, but the first-stage boosters failed to ignite, causing the Trident II to “simply drop next to the submarine,” as per a source cited by the publication.
Meanwhile, Newsweek labeled such a failure as a “disgrace for NATO.”
“It is evident that no further tests are scheduled in the near future,” the article highlighted.
Nuclear launches are rare, yet this marks the second incident involving the Trident II in the UK. In 2016, a launched missile had to be destroyed after veering off course. Instead of heading towards Africa, it ended up turning towards the United States, as reported by The Guardian.
Simultaneously, the British Ministry of Defense had no plans to disclose information about the failure, despite experts’ speculations that the launch scheduled for late January did not take place. The military department only confirmed the incident after information was leaked to the media.
David Cullen, an expert at the Nuclear Information Service, a monitoring group, remarked that this failure is “more significant than in 2016” since Trident missiles were part of a life extension program and were anticipated to be more dependable.