A joint U.S. Navy and a Lockheed Martin [LMT] industry team successfully launched two Trident II D5 Life Extension missiles from the Ohio-class USS Nebraska (SSBN-739) ballistic missile submarine.
This test certified the submarine’s strategic weapon system and crew are ready for patrol and provided more information on the D5 Life Extension missile configuration.
The test was called Demonstration and Shakedown Operation (DASO) 28 and occurred off the coast of southern California on Monday.
The success of DASO-28 increased the number of successful D5 launches since 1989 to 167.
Eric Scherff, Lockheed Martin vice president of Navy Strategic Programs, explained how useful the test was beyond certifying the vessel for patrol.
“Instead of warheads, the missiles carried test kits and instrumentation to give us troves of information about flight and subsystem performance. The joint government and industry team will use this data to assess performance and to inform maintenance and sustainment plans for the upgraded Trident missile fleet for decades to come,” he said in a statement.
The D5 Life Extension design achieved initial fleet introduction last year. It has modernized electronics and upgraded avionics subsystems. Lockheed Martin said it expects this D5 will be in service in both the U.S. Navy and U.K. Royal Navy through the 2060s.
The company said the program modernizes the missile and maintains its proven past performance for “significantly less than the cost of designing a new missile.”