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US Navy Ohio-class SSBN Test Launched Four Trident II D5 Ballistic Missiles

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Naval Forces News - USA
 
 
 
US Navy Ohio-class SSBN Test Launched Four Trident II D5 Ballistic Missiles
 
An Ohio-class ballistic missile submarine assigned to Submarine Group 9 completed a Follow-on Commander's Evaluation Test (FCET) Feb. 16, resulting in four successful test flights of Trident II D5 missiles. Designated FCET-53, the operation spanned a three-day period.
     
Ohio class trident II D 5 ballistic missileOfficial U.S. Navy file photo of a Trident II D5 ballistic missile launch from an Ohio-class ballistic missile submarine during a missile test at the Pacific Test Range.
     
The primary objective of an FCET is to obtain, under operationally representative conditions, valid reliability, accuracy, and performance of the missile system for use by Commander, Strategic Command and the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Safety of the public was paramount throughout the mission. The missiles were unarmed and all launches were conducted from the sea, flew over the sea, and landed in the sea. At no time did the missiles fly over land.

A credible, effective nuclear deterrent is essential to national security and the security of U.S. allies and friends. The Trident II D5 missile is a submarine-launched ballistic missile which is one part of the nation's strategic deterrent triad. As the most survivable leg of the triad, it provides the national command authority with assured second-strike capability. Since its introduction to the fleet in 1989, the Trident II D5 missile has completed 165 successful test flights.
     
Ohio class ballistic missile submarine USS Alaska SSBN 732KINGS BAY, Ga. (May 22, 2014) The Ohio-class ballistic-missile submarine USS Alaska (SSBN 732) returns to Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay following a patrol. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Rex Nelson/Released)