Second HMS Vanguard Test Ends in Failure for UK Nuclear Missile Test

It’s never good when your country’s nuclear missiles don’t go off as planned. For the second time in just eight years, a test of Britain’s UK nuclear missile test aboard the HMS Vanguard fizzled rather than sizzled. Officials are saying it was just a one-off, but critics are wondering if the nation’s nukes are a bit dud.

According to reports, the UK nuclear missile test was supposed to see a Trident missile loaded with a dummy warhead blast off from the sub near Florida. But the first stage boosters didn’t light up like they should, and the rocket ended up taking an unplanned swim. The MOD and Royal Navy insist it was a minor glitch and the rest of the system is still UK nuclear missile test. But with two failures in such a short time, not everyone is convinced.

So What Does It All Mean?

If you can’t rely on your missiles to go off when you need them to, that sort of defeats the purpose of having nukes, right? The opposition is saying the Government needs to give Parliament a proper rundown on exactly what went wrong during the UK nuclear missile test and how they plan to stop it happening again. They also want reassurance our deterrent is still a deterrent. Plenty of experts are questioning whether our aging Trident subs are really up to the job anymore.

Only time will tell if this was just an isolated incident or a sign of deeper issues with Britain’s UK nuclear missile test capability. In the meantime, our friends across the pond must be looking on with raised eyebrows. After all, we share the US Trident tech – how embarrassing would it be if their missiles started acting up too. Watch this space, because you can bet there’ll be more debate about whether it’s time for a next generation of Royal Navy nuclear subs.