Source: Reference News
According to the US Newsweek website on September 24, the United States recently tested four missiles capable of carrying nuclear warheads not equipped with a combat unit on a submarine in the Atlantic.
Submarine-launched ballistic missiles and their launch platforms, ballistic missiles submarines, are part of the U.S. nuclear force along with land-based intercontinental ballistic missiles and bombers capable of carrying nuclear weapons. The Pentagon says this "nuclear triad" is designed to deter adversaries and achieve U.S. goals in the event that deterrence fails.
On September 17-21, a U.S. Navy "Ohio" class ballistic missile submarine tested an unequipped "tri-fork" IID5 extension missile on the eastern coast of Florida, with an estimated range of more than 7,456 miles (about 1,20,000 kilometers).
According to the U.S. Navy Strategic Systems Plan, these missiles can each carry eight warheads, and the missiles landed in a vast area of the Atlantic Ocean. The navigation warning issued before the test showed that the missile might hit the waters of southwestern Africa.
The U.S. Navy confirmed that a launch test on the night of 21 “illuminated the night sky, visible from Puerto Rico.”
The Strategic System Plan said the planned tests were not in response to any of the world’s major events, adding that such tests were conducted “on a regular, planned basis” to assess and ensure the reliability and accuracy of the weapons systems.
U.S. nuclear forces are regularly tested to ensure their reliability and effectiveness. The U.S. Air Force test-fired a Minuteman-3 intercontinental ballistic missile without an operations department from California to the Pacific Ocean in May this year.
While it's unclear which submarine conducted the test, the U.S. Navy has 14 Ohio-class ballistic missile submarines, six of which are located on the East Coast and homeported in Georgia. Each submarine can carry up to 20 Trident IID5 missiles for nuclear strike.
According to the US Newsweek website, a U.S. nuclear-powered submarine capable of launching more than 100 missiles was deployed to the South China Sea during a visit to an ally.
An intelligence analyst on social platform X, citing open-source ship tracking data, said the nuclear submarine "Ohio" arrived on 23rd in the Gulf of Subic on the west coast of Lusong Island, Philippines, adjacent to the South China Sea.
On the 24th, the U.S. Navy's Seventh Submarine Corps, which is responsible for all submarine operations in the West Pacific, confirmed to the Newsweek in an email statement that the "Ohio" was making a scheduled port visit at the Subic Bay Terminal.
The submarine is currently conducting routine missions in the U.S. 7th Fleet's area of operations to help maintain a free and open Indo-Pacific region, the statement said.
The U.S. Navy stated on its website: "The 'Ohio' class cruise missile nuclear submarine provides the Navy with unprecedented strike and special operations mission capabilities from a stealth secret platform. The cruise missile nuclear submarine carries tactical missiles and has superior communication capabilities, which can directly support the strike requirements of the commander of the combat command and the requirements of the special operations forces."