[NukeNet] Scotland: Oops! American missile to replace Trident is too big for Britain's nuclear submarines

[Bob Stannard]

You don't suppose that we made them bigger as a way to get rid of some of
the waste, do you???

 

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bob at bobstannard.com

 

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From: nukenet-bounces at energyjustice.net
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Sent: Sunday, December 23, 2007 7:07 PM
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Subject: [NukeNet] Scotland: Oops! American missile to replace Trident is
too big for Britain's nuclear submarines

 

http://www.sundayherald.com/

news/heraldnews/display.var.

1924101.0.oops_american_

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_too_big_for_britains_nuclea

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Comment:

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Oops! American missile to replace Trident is too big for Britains nuclear
submarines


THE US nuclear-armed missile that the Westminster government is hoping will
replace Trident may not actually fit into British submarines, creating a
"major headache" for UK weapons designers.

The Sunday Herald has seen evidence that US 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 US 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, currently
stationed at Faslane on the Clyde.

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 US.

That is why Blair exchanged formal letters with US president George W Bush
on December 7, 2006. "The United Kingdom wishes to ensure that any successor
to the D5 system is compatible with, or is capable of being made compatible
with, the launch system for the D5 missile, which we will in the meantime be
installing into our new submarines," Blair wrote.

Bush replied by inviting the UK to take part in the D5 replacement programme
or to discuss extending the life of the missiles. "In this respect, any
successor to the D5 system should be compatible with, or be capable of being
made compatible with, the launch system for the D5 missile," he wrote.

Earlier this month defence secretary Des Browne confirmed that UK and US
officials had met three times since March to consider missile designs.
"Concept studies for the development of a new underwater-launched missile
system have been discussed by officials at these meetings," he said.

But critics 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 US 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 200,000lbs in weight, although Trident missile tubes
have a diameter of 87 inches and the missiles weigh 130,000lbs. This was
because "concepts for future submarines may have missile tubes larger than
87 inches in diameter", the notice said.

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. "Common sense would suggest that if you are designing a
submarine you must know the dimensions of the missiles it will carry," he
said.

"But common sense has no place in the government's plan to build a new
nuclear weapon system. The rushed programme to replace Trident could set a
new benchmark for ineptitude at the Ministry of Defence MoD.

"Gordon Brown should call a halt to this absurd waste of taxpayers' money."

Ainslie argued it was not credible to arm the new submarines with Trident D5
missiles throughout their life because the US would cease maintaining them.
The US navy is planning to withdraw Trident completely by 2042, but the UK
wants to operate its new submarines until at least 2055.

He also pointed out that when the UK first bought Trident missiles in the
early 1980s, it had to change its order to fit US timescales.

"They will be keen to purchase an underwater-launched missile system. But
designing a submarine for an unknown missile will be a nightmare."

A spokeswoman for the MoD said: "We are satisfied the exchange of letters
between the previous prime minister and the US president provide us with the
necessary assurances that any US successor to the D5 missile should be
compatible, or can be made compatible, with the launch system to be
installed in our new submarines."

9:39pm Saturday 22nd December 2007


By Rob Edwards, Environment Editor

 

 

 

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