How It Works - UK (2020-05)

064 How It Works http://www.howitworksdaily.com

HISTORYTORY

TheUK’snuclearsubmarines

patrolthecountry’scoastline,armed

and ready with nuclear warheads

Floatingstorage

16 Tridentmissilescanbe

storedoneachoftheUK’sfour

Vanguard-classsubmarines.

Launch

Pressurefromexpandinggas

within the storagetubes

behindthesubmarine’s fin

builds untilit’senoughto

launchtheTridentmissile.

lamy

Al©

am

TheUStested

nuclearlarwweapeap

onsat

BikiniAtollduring

the

1940s and 1950s

Powerhouse

Heldwithintheheadof

eachmissilearemultiple

independentlytargetable

re-entryvehicles(MIRVs)

• six 100 kiloton
  thermonuclearwarheads.

Followingdirection

AboardtheTridentmissileis a

MK6 stellar-inertialnavigation

systemcapableofdeliveringthe

warheadtowithinaround 120

metresofitstarget.

Flight

Onceit escapesthe

water’ssurfaceandit’sfar

enoughawayfromthe

submarinethatdeployed

it,theairbornemissile

usesa three-stage

solid-propellantrocketto

soarthroughtheskies.

UGM-133ATridentII D5

Length: 13 metres

Weight:58,500kilograms

Range:12,000kilometres

Cost:£41.3millionpermissile

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