Trident 2 Missile Explodes in 2nd Test-Firing Failure

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — An unarmed Trident 2 missile exploded Tuesday, seconds after it was launched from the nuclear submarine Tennessee. It was the second such failure in three undersea test firings of the Navy’s newest and deadliest weapon.

The Navy reported that the 44-foot-long, $26.5-million missile blew apart “early in first-stage flight” after being launched at 5:10 p.m. from the submarine, which was cruising about 50 feet below the surface of the Atlantic.

Officials said the problem, which occurred shortly after ignition, was reminiscent of the first Trident 2 submarine launching, In that test, on March 21, the missile cartwheeled out of control and exploded four seconds after it was launched from the Tennessee.

Faulty Part Redesigned

At that time, investigators traced the problem to a mechanical linkage that moves the rocket’s steering nozzles. The faulty part was redesigned.

On Aug. 2, the Tennessee launched a Trident 2 with the design changes on the missile’s first underwater success.

There was no immediate indication of whether the two failures were related. “The cause of the malfunction cannot be determined until telemetry is studied,” the Navy’s statement said.

The Navy said the explosion caused no injuries or damage. A spokeswoman said she did not know whether the missile blew up on its own or was destroyed via radio command after it strayed off course.

The test was conducted far down the Atlantic tracking range, about 200 miles off Cape Canaveral.

Deployment Delay Seen

The test failure could set back the Navy’s plan to send the Tennessee on operational patrol next March with 24 nuclear-tipped Trident 2s.

Officials had planned about six more underwater tests before making that move. The test program probably will be delayed, and more firings may have to be added.

Each Trident 2, built by Lockheed Missiles & Space Co. of Sunnyvale, Calif., is capable of hurling up to 10 nuclear warheads at different targets more than 4,600 miles away. Nine submarines are being built to carry the weapon.