The UK’s nuclear deterrent explained
a
b
c
TRIDENT II D5 MISSILE
a. Aerospike
b. Warheads (up to 12)
c. Two-piece nose faring
d. Ignition
e. Rocket booster
Length: 44ft (13m)
Diameter: 7ft
Speed: 13,400mph (Mach 17.4)
Range: 7,500 miles (12,000km)
Weight: 58.5 tonnes
d
e
6
5
4
2
3
What our new nuclear submarines could look like
1. Multi-bladed propeller
2. Steam turbine
3. Nuclear reactor
4. Missile control
5. Nuclear missiles (up to 12)
6. Sonar dome
1
WHAT IS TRIDENT?
Trident is the shorthand name given to Britain’s nuclear deterrent. It refers to the American-made Trident II D5 missiles that are fitted with British nuclear warheads and loaded into the four Royal Navy, nuclear-powered submarines. One of these boats is permanently on patrol at sea. This forms the basis of continuous at-sea deterrence – the idea that an adversary would refrain from launching a nuclear attack on Britain because we would always be able to retaliate
The Royal Navy Vanguard class submarine HMS Vigilant returning to HMNB Clyde after extended deployment
DO WE NEED TRIDENT TO TACKLE MODERN-DAY THREATS?
Critics argue that maintaining a nuclear-armed submarine permanently on patrol – a posture that was highly relevant to deter the former Soviet Union during the Cold War – is no longer relevant. Trident will not prevent a terrorist group or other non-state actor from launching a nuclear attack against Britain or its allies. However, a rise in tension between the West and Russia is a reminder that the nuclear threats of the past could become a reality again in the future. The nuclear deterrent is not something that can be switched on and switched off. It takes decades to build and maintain the submarines and the warheads and also to train up the crews that are required silently to serve under the sea away from their families
LAUNCHING THE
TRIDENT II D5
7
Thrusters manoeuvre the forward section so each warhead can be independently released in right place to freefall to target, where they detonate
6
Stage three
is ejected when target area reached
Nose faring and second stage jettisoned and third stage fires
5
NUCLEAR WARHEAD MARK 4
First stage jettisoned and second-stage rocket fires
4
Neutron generator
Missile reaches space and calculates its position from the stars
Secondary reaction chamber
3
Primary fission trigger
Re-entry body
Stage-one rocket ignites and aerospike extends
2
Fuse Arming, fusing and firing system
A missile can carry up to 12 warheads. Each warhead has the destructive power of at least eight times the atomic bomb (15 kilotons) that was dropped on Hiroshima
1
Expanding gas in tube
forces missile out
EFFECT OF A 100 KILOTON BOMB ON LONDON
Fireball
100% destruction
Hackney
Newham
Air blast at 20psi
Up to 100% fatality rate. Heavy
concrete buildings severely damaged
Islington
LONDON
Tower
Hamlets
Radiation radius
Up to 90% fatality rate
City
Air blast 5psi
Most residential buildings collapse.
Widespread fatalities and injuries
Southwark
Greenwich
Thermal radiation radius
100% probability of third-degree burns
One mile
COST OF THE PROGRAMME
Replacing the submarines is anticipated to cost £31 billion over the 20-year life of the programme. However Britain will need to invest money in replacing the nuclear warheads and is already spending a lot of money in upgrading the Trident missiles as part of an American programmes. Estimates by lobby groups that oppose the deterrent put the total cost at more than £200 billion. Supporters of the deterrent say this is a false figure. They note that the cost works out at about 2 or 3 per cent of the £35 billion defence budget which is a price worth paying for the UK’s most important insurance policy
ALTERNATIVES TO SUBMARINE-LAUNCHED BALLISTIC MISSILES
Mobile ground launchers
Ground launch from silos
Pros
Pros
Manoeuverable
Cheaper than a sub
Cons
Cons
Location easily monitored by spy satellites
Easily hit in a counter attack. Needs area the size of Wales to match capability
Polaris submarines in the 1970s
ATOMIC BOMB TIMELINE
1945
The US drops atomic bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in world’s only nuclear attack
1946
US Congress passes McMahon Act prohibiting nuclear co-operation with any country, including UK
1947
Clement Attlee authorises
a British nuclear weapons programme
1952
First British atomic bomb, carried by the Vickers Valiant aircraft, test in Montebello islands, Australia
1956
Blue Danube free-fall bomb first tested in Maralinga, Australia
1957
Harold Macmillan and President Eisenhower revive nuclear co-operation
1963
United States agrees to provide UK with Polaris ballistic missiles
1965
UK decided to build four Polaris submarines instead of five for cost reasons
1968
Nuclear-armed Polaris submarine, HMS Resolution, conducts first deterrent patrol
1982
Britain buys into Trident missile system from the US
1993
Nuclear-armed Trident submarine HMS Vanguard enters
service
2007
MPs vote by 409 to 161 in favour of proposals to replace the Trident fleet, no decision on boat number
2016
MPs to vote
on main gate decision to replace Vanguard-class fleet
WHAT ARE MPS VOTING FOR?
MPs are voting on whether to approve to so-called main gate investment decision to procure four new submarines to replace the ageing Vanguard-class. Work on concept and design of the Successor programme has been taking place since 2007, with some £4 billion already committed. The total cost of the programme is £31 billion but the Ministry of Defence has set aside a further £10 billion in case of unforeseen cost increases
POLITICAL PARTY STANCE
The Conservative Party is strongly in favour of replacing the four Trident submarines on a like-for-like basis
The Labour Party officially supports Trident renewal. However, Jeremy Corbyn is a life-long unilateralist. He wants Britain to stop being a nuclear power and has even advocated building the new submarines but not fitting them with nuclear missiles
The Liberal Democrats are opposed to a like-for-like replacement of the submarines. They too ultimately support unilateral disarmament but would be in favour of a reduced deterrent, such as a smaller fleet of two or three submarines
The Scottish National Party is against the renewal of Trident. They no longer want Faslane in Scotland to be home to Britain’s nuclear deterrent. This could pose a major problem for Britain in the future if Scotland is given a second independence referendum and votes to leave the United Kingdom
ALTERNATIVE OPTIONS THAT HAVE BEEN CONSIDERED
Reduce fleet to three Trident missile submarines
Scrap Trident and put nuclear-tipped cruise missiles on Astute-class hunter-killer submarines
Scrap Trident and use F35 Lightning II fast jets to carry nuclear-tipped cruise missiles
Build four submarines to replace the Vanguard-class but without Trident missiles
The UK’s nuclear deterrent explained
TRIDENT II D5
Length: 44ft (13m)
Diameter: 7ft
Speed: 13,400mph (Mach 17.4)
Range: 7,500 miles (12,000km)
Weight: 58.5 tonnes
6
5
4
2
3
What our new nuclear submarines could look like
1
1. Multi-bladed propeller
2. Steam turbine
3. Nuclear reactor
4. Missile control
5. Nuclear missiles (up to 12)
6. Sonar dome
WHAT IS TRIDENT?
Trident is the shorthand name given to Britain’s nuclear deterrent. It refers to the American-made Trident II D5 missiles that are fitted with British nuclear warheads and loaded into the four Royal Navy, nuclear-powered submarines. One of these boats is permanently on patrol at sea. This forms the basis of continuous at-sea deterrence – the idea that an adversary would refrain from launching a nuclear attack on Britain because we would always be able to retaliate
The Royal Navy Vanguard Class submarine HMS Vigilant returning to HMNB Clyde after extended deployment
DO WE NEED TRIDENT TO TACKLE MODERN-DAY THREATS?
Critics argue that maintaining a nuclear-armed submarine permanently on patrol – a posture that was highly relevant to deter the former Soviet Union during the Cold War – is no longer relevant. Trident will not prevent a terrorist group or other non-state actor from launching a nuclear attack against Britain or its allies. However, a rise in tension between the West and Russia is a reminder that the nuclear threats of the past could become a reality again in the future. The nuclear deterrent is not something that can be switched on and switched off. It takes decades to build and maintain the submarines and the warheads and also to train up the crews that are required silently to serve under the sea away from their families
Thrusters manoeuvre the forward section so each warhead can be independantly released in right place to freefall to target, where they detonate
LAUNCHING THE
TRIDENT II D5
7
6
Stage three
is ejected when target area reached
Nose faring and second stage jettisoned and third stage fires
5
First stage jettisoned and second-stage rocket fires
4
NUCLEAR WARHEAD MARK 4
Missile reaches space and calculates its position from the stars
3
Neutron generator
Secondary reaction chamber
Stage-one rocket ignites and aerospike extends
2
Primary fission trigger
Re-entry body
1
Expanding gas in tube
forces missile out
Fuse Arming, fusing
and firing system
A missile can carry up to 12 warheads. Each warhead has the destructive power of at least eight times the atomic bomb (15 kilotons) that was dropped on Hiroshima
EFFECT OF A 100 KILOTON BOMB ON LONDON
Hackney
Newham
Islington
LONDON
Tower
Hamlets
City
Southwark
Greenwich
One mile
Air blast 5psi
Most residential buildings
collapse. Widespread fatalities
and injuries
Fireball
100% destruction
Air blast at 20psi
Up to 100% fatality rate. Heavy
concrete buildings severely damaged
Thermal radiation radius
100% probability of
third-degree burns
Radiation radius
Up to 90% fatality rate
COST OF THE PROGRAMME
Replacing the submarines is anticipated to cost £31 billion over the 20-year life of the programme. However Britain will need to invest money in replacing the nuclear warheads and is already spending a lot of money in upgrading the Trident missiles as part of an American programmes. Estimates by lobby groups that oppose the deterrent put the total cost at more than £200 billion. Supporters of the deterrent say this is a false figure. They note that the cost works out at about 2 or 3 per cent of the £35 billion defence budget which is a price worth paying for the UK’s most important insurance policy
ALTERNATIVES TO SUBMARINE-LAUNCHED
BALLISTIC MISSILES
Mobile ground launchers
Ground launch from silos
Pros
Pros
Cheaper than
a sub
Manoeuverable
Cons
Cons
Location easily monitored by spy satellites
Easily hit in a counter attack. Needs area the size of Wales to match capability
Polaris submarines in the 1970s
ATOMIC BOMB TIMELINE
1945
The US drops atomic bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in world’s only nuclear attack
1946
US Congress passes McMahon Act prohibiting nuclear co-operation with any country, including UK
1947
Clement Attlee authorises
a British nuclear weapons programme
1952
First British atomic bomb, carried by the Vickers Valiant aircraft, test in Montebello islands, Australia
1956
Blue Danube free-fall bomb first tested in Maralinga, Australia
1957
Harold Macmillan and President Eisenhower revive nuclear co-operation
1965
UK decided to build four Polaris submarines instead of five because for cost reasons
1963
United States agrees to provide UK with Polaris ballistic missiles
1968
Nuclear-armed Polaris submarine, HMS Resolution, conducts first deterrent patrol
1982
Britain buys into Trident missile system from the US
1993
Nuclear-armed Trident submarine HMS Vanguard enters
service
2007
MPs vote by 409 to 161 in favour of proposals to replace the Trident fleet, no decision on boat number
2016
MPs to vote
on main gate decision to replace Vanguard-class fleet
WHAT ARE MPS VOTING FOR?
MPs are voting on whether to approve to so-called main gate investment decision to procure four new submarines to replace the ageing Vanguard-class. Work on concept and design of the Successor programme has been taking place since 2007, with some £4 billion already committed. The total cost of the programme is £31 billion but the Ministry of Defence has set aside a further £10 billion in case of unforeseen cost increases
POLITICAL PARTY STANCE
The Conservative Party is strongly in favour of replacing the four Trident submarines on a like-for-like basis
The Labour Party officially supports Trident renewal. However, Jeremy Corbyn is a life-long unilateralist. He wants Britain to stop being a nuclear power and has even advocated building the new submarines but not fitting them with nuclear missiles
The Liberal Democrats are opposed to a like-for-like replacement of the submarines. They too ultimately support unilateral disarmament but would be in favour of a reduced deterrent, such as a smaller fleet of two or three submarines
The Scottish National Party is against the renewal of Trident. They no longer want Faslane in Scotland to be home to Britain’s nuclear deterrent. This could pose a major problem for Britain in the future if Scotland is given a second independence referendum and votes to leave the United Kingdom
ALTERNATIVE OPTIONS THAT
HAVE BEEN CONSIDERED
Reduce fleet to three Trident missile submarines
Scrap Trident and put nuclear-tipped cruise missiles on
Astute-class hunter-killer submarines
Scrap Trident and use F35 Lightning II fast jets to carry
nuclear-tipped cruise missiles
Build four submarines to replace the Vanguard-class but
without Trident missiles
The UK’s nuclear deterrent explained
TRIDENT II D5
5
6
4
2
3
1
What our new nuclear submarines could look like
TRIDENT II D5
Length: 44ft (13m)
Diameter: 7ft
Speed: 13,400mph (Mach 17.4)
Range: 7,500 miles (12,000km)
Weight: 58.5 tonnes
1. Multi-bladed propeller
2. Steam turbine
3. Nuclear reactor
4. Missile control
5. Nuclear missiles
(up to 12)
6. Sonar dome
WHAT IS TRIDENT?
Trident is the shorthand name given to Britain’s nuclear deterrent. It refers to the American-made Trident II D5 missiles that are fitted with British nuclear warheads and loaded into the four Royal Navy, nuclear-powered submarines. One of these boats is permanently on patrol at sea. This forms the basis of continuous at-sea deterrence – the idea that an adversary would refrain from launching a nuclear attack on Britain because we would always be able to retaliate
The Royal Navy Vanguard Class submarine HMS Vigilant returning to HMNB Clyde after extended deployment
DO WE NEED TRIDENT TO TACKLE MODERN-DAY THREATS?
Critics argue that maintaining a nuclear-armed submarine permanently on patrol – a posture that was highly relevant to deter the former Soviet Union during the Cold War – is no longer relevant. Trident will not prevent a terrorist group or other non-state actor from launching a nuclear attack against Britain or its allies. However, a rise in tension between the West and Russia is a reminder that the nuclear threats of the past could become a reality again in the future. The nuclear deterrent is not something that can be switched on and switched off. It takes decades to build and maintain the submarines and the warheads and also to train up the crews that are required silently to serve under the sea away from their families
Thrusters manoeuvre the forward section so each warhead can be independantly released in right place to freefall to target, where they detonate
LAUNCHING THE
TRIDENT II D5
7
6
Stage three
is ejected when target area reached
Nose faring and second stage jettisoned and third stage fires
5
First stage jettisoned and second-stage rocket fires
4
Missile reaches space and calculates its position from the stars
3
Stage-one rocket ignites and aerospike extends
2
1
Expanding gas in tube
forces missile out
NUCLEAR WARHEAD MARK 4
A missile can carry up to 12 warheads. Each warhead has the destructive power of at least eight times the atomic bomb (15 kilotons) that was dropped on Hiroshima
EFFECT OF A 100 KILOTON
BOMB ON LONDON
Hackney
Newham
Islington
LONDON
Tower
Hamlets
City
Southwark
Greenwich
One mile
Fireball
100% destruction
Up to 100% fatality rate.
Heavy concrete buildings
severely damaged
Air blast at 20psi
Radiation radius
Up to 90% fatality rate
Most residential buildings
collapse. Widespread
fatalities and injuries
Air blast 5psi
100% probability of
third-degree burns
Thermal radiation
radius
COST OF THE PROGRAMME
Replacing the submarines is anticipated to cost £31 billion over the 20-year life of the programme. However Britain will need to invest money in replacing the nuclear warheads and is already spending a lot of money in upgrading the Trident missiles as part of an American programmes. Estimates by lobby groups that oppose the deterrent put the total cost at more than £200 billion. Supporters of the deterrent say this is a false figure. They note that the cost works out at about 2 or 3 per cent of the £35 billion defence budget which is a price worth paying for the UK’s most important insurance policy
ALTERNATIVES TO SUBMARINE-
LAUNCHED BALLISTIC MISSILES
Mobile ground launchers
Pros
Manoeuverable
Cons
Location easily monitored by spy satellites
Ground launch from silos
Pros
Cheaper than
a sub
Cons
Easily hit in a counter attack. Needs area the size of Wales to match capability
Polaris submarines in the 1970s
ATOMIC BOMB TIMELINE
1945
The US drops atomic bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in world’s only nuclear attack
1946
US Congress passes McMahon Act prohibiting nuclear co-operation with any country, including UK
1947
Clement Attlee authorises
a British nuclear weapons programme
1952
First British atomic bomb, carried by the Vickers Valiant aircraft, test in Montebello islands, Australia
1956
Blue Danube free-fall bomb first tested in Maralinga, Australia
1957
Harold Macmillan and President Eisenhower revive nuclear co-operation
1965
UK decided to build four Polaris submarines instead of five because for cost reasons
1963
United States agrees to provide UK with Polaris ballistic missiles
1968
Nuclear-armed Polaris submarine, HMS Resolution, conducts first deterrent patrol
1982
Britain buys into Trident missile system from the US
1993
Nuclear-armed Trident submarine HMS Vanguard enters
service
2007
MPs vote by 409 to 161 in favour of proposals to replace the Trident fleet, no decision on boat number
2016
MPs to vote
on main gate decision to replace Vanguard-class fleet
WHAT ARE MPS VOTING FOR?
MPs are voting on whether to approve to so-called main gate investment decision to procure four new submarines to replace the ageing Vanguard-class. Work on concept and design of the Successor programme has been taking place since 2007, with some £4 billion already committed. The total cost of the programme is £31 billion but the Ministry of Defence has set aside a further £10 billion in case of unforeseen cost increases
POLITICAL PARTY STANCE
The Conservative Party is strongly in favour of replacing the four Trident submarines on a like-for-like basis
The Labour Party officially supports Trident renewal. However, Jeremy Corbyn is a life-long unilateralist. He wants Britain to stop being a nuclear power and has even advocated building the new submarines but not fitting them with nuclear missiles
The Liberal Democrats are opposed to a like-for-like replacement of the submarines. They too ultimately support unilateral disarmament but would be in favour of a reduced deterrent, such as a smaller fleet of two or three submarines
The Scottish National Party is against the renewal of Trident. They no longer want Faslane in Scotland to be home to Britain’s nuclear deterrent. This could pose a major problem for Britain in the future if Scotland is given a second independence referendum and votes to leave the United Kingdom
ALTERNATIVE OPTIONS THAT
HAVE BEEN CONSIDERED
Reduce fleet to three Trident missile submarines
Scrap Trident and put nuclear-tipped cruise
missiles on Astute-class hunter-killer submarines
Scrap Trident and use F35 Lightning II fast
jets to carry nuclear-tipped cruise missiles
Build four submarines to replace the
Vanguard-class but without Trident missiles