The US Navy’s Strategic Systems Programs conducted four scheduled missile test flights of unarmed Trident II D5LE missiles from an Ohio-class nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine (SSBN) off the east coast of Florida from September 17 to 21.
The navy said one launch test event on Sunday evening (local time) was visible from Puerto Rico.
Flight tests are conducted on a recurring, scheduled basis to evaluate and ensure the continued reliability and accuracy of the system. The navy also clarified that the missile tests were not conducted in response to any ongoing world events.
These test flights were part of a planned test event and resulted in the achievement of 197 total successful missile flight test launches of the Trident II D5 strategic weapon system. The test flights were launched from a submerged SSBN and landed in a broad ocean area of the Atlantic Ocean.
As part of standard safety requirements, notices to airmen were issued identifying no-fly zones and notices to mariners were issued to seagoing vessels identifying stay-out areas for the pre-scheduled test period.
The D5 missiles were originally developed in the 1980s, and a life-extension refresh was completed in 2017 to extend the service life of the system to the 2040s.
