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US Missile to Replace Trident Too Big for UK's Nuclear Submarines

Via NY Transfer News Collective  *  All the News that Doesn't Fit
 
Radio Havana Cuba
http://www.radiohc.cu/ingles/portada.htm


US Missile to Replace Trident Too Big for UK's Nuclear Submarines

London, December 24 (RHC)-- The U.S. nuclear-armed missile that the
Westminster government is hoping will replace Trident may not actually
fit into British submarines, creating what is being described as a
"major headache" for UK weapons designers.

The London-based Sunday Herald has seen evidence that U.S. designers
are contemplating new missiles too big to slot into the tubes that
house Trident's current D5 missiles. Tenders to bid for a test-bed for
future underwater-launched nuclear missiles issued by the U.S. Navy
last month specify a missile diameter of up to 120 inches. The diameter
of Trident's D5 missile tubes is 87 inches.

The former prime minister, Tony Blair, won the support of the House of
Commons in March this year for his controversial decision to renew
Britain's nuclear weapons by replacing the four Trident submarines.
Blair's plan -- apparently endorsed by his successor, Gordon Brown --
is to start arming the new submarines with the existing Trident
missiles but then to replace them with new missiles being designed by
the United States.

Earlier this month, British defense secretary Des Browne confirmed that
UK and U.S. officials had met three times since March to consider
missile designs. He said that concept studies for the development of a
new underwater-launched missile system had been discussed by officials
at the meetings -- but observers are now saying that Bush appears to be
reneging on his promise to make sure any new missiles would be
compatible with existing D5 launch systems.

In November, the U.S. Navy issued a notice inviting companies to bid
for a new test-bed for "development testing of underwater-launched
missile systems." The notice said the test-bed should be able to
support missiles up to 120 inches in diameter and 200,000 pounds in
weight, although Trident missile tubes have a diameter of 87 inches and
the missiles weigh 130,000 lbs. This was because "concepts for future
submarines may have missile tubes larger than 87 inches in diameter."

John Ainslie, co-ordinator for Scottish CND, said this would going to
give the engineers in Barrow responsible for designing Britain's new
submarines a big problem. He said: "Common sense would suggest that if
you are designing a submarine you must know the dimensions of the
missiles it will carry."


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