>>5345803 (/pb)
Read how the, fake news, NY Times spun it. Not truthful at all!
Major Fuckery is afoot
LONDON — Prime Minister Theresa May of Britain found herself in political hot water on Monday over reports that an unarmed Trident missile went astray during a test at sea in June, and that the government kept the incident a secret. Ms. May was initially unwilling to acknowledge that she was aware of the test when she urged Parliament in July to invest in new Trident-armed submarines. Here is a look at the weapon and concerns about a possible cover-up.
What’s a Trident missile?
It is a strategic nuclear weapon: a 44-foot long ballistic missile launched from a submarine that can deliver eight nuclear warheads to targets thousands of miles away. Tridents are built by Lockheed Martin, a major American defense contractor, and are used by the American and British navies. The current generation, the Trident II D5, was first deployed in 1990, and is expected to remain in front-line service at least into the 2020s, and potentially the 2030s.
Have they had problems in the past?
The Trident II D5 is called the most reliable large missile in the world, with more than 160 successful tests over the years, according to Lockheed Martin. Most have been conducted by the United States Navy (including two tests in November). The British Navy performs them only sparingly — one every three to five years — for cost reasons: each missile is said to cost £17 million ($21 million). Failures have been rare; one expert quoted in British news reports estimated that there had been fewer than 10 failures in the weapon’s history, and the British Navy is not known to have had any go awry before June 2016.
Why do they run tests of a proven missile?
It is done mostly to test the submarines that launch them. The Times of London reported that the June 2016 test was a required step in checking out a sub, H.M.S. Vengeance, that had just been refitted with upgraded computer systems and new launch equipment.
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There is also said to be strategic value in reminding potential enemies that a weapons capability is still active by testing it from time to time.
Why did the failed test become a political issue?
Because Mrs. May did not reveal it when she addressed Parliament to persuade lawmakers to spend £40 billion ($49 billion) on a new generation of Trident-armed submarines that would replace Britain’s aging current fleet. Though the test took place in June, before she became prime minister, her office acknowledged on Monday that she was aware of the test results when she spoke to Parliament in July.
Critics now accuse Mrs. May and her predecessor, David Cameron, of a cover-up because earlier, successful British Trident tests — in 2000, 2005, 2009 and 2012 — were routinely publicized by the Ministry of Defense, but the June 2016 test was not.
What went wrong with the test in June?
it’s not clear? For fucks sake are you shitting me?
It is not clear, and the British government is not saying, beyond a statement that the test was “successfully concluded.” Michael Fallon, the British defense secretary, told Parliament on Monday that because “the security of our deterrent is absolutely paramount at a time like this,” he would not make public any operational details about the test.
Mr. Fallon refused to respond to news reports in Britain suggesting that the missile may have flown far off its intended course after launch. Such a failure could have resulted from bad information fed into the guidance system rather than a flaw in the missile itself.
Kimiko de Freytas-Tamura reported from London, and Patrick J. Lyons from New York. Hannah Olivennes contributed research.
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.nytimes.com/2017/01/23/world/europe/uk-theresa-may-trident-nuclear-missile.amp.html
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/23/world/europe/uk-theresa-may-trident-nuclear-missile.html