How deep can a submarine fire missile?

Some early models had to surface to launch their missiles, but modern vessels typically launch while submerged at keel depths of usually less than 50 metres (160 ft).

How far can Trident missiles go?

about 6,500 nautical miles
It has a maximum range of about 6,500 nautical miles (12,000 km). The Trident warheads are launched by three solid-fueled booster stages and are dispersed toward their targets by a liquid-fueled “bus” in the missile’s front end.

How many Trident II missiles can an Ohio class submarine hold?

24 Trident II
The SSBN submarines provide the sea-based leg of the U.S. nuclear triad. Each SSBN submarine is armed with up to 24 Trident II submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBM). Each SSGN is capable of carrying 154 Tomahawk cruise missiles, plus a complement of Harpoon missiles to be fired through their torpedo tubes.

What is the range of Trident?

Specifications. The Trident D5 has a range of 12,000 km and can carry a payload as large as 2,800 kg. Its payload carries a Post-Boost Vehicle (PBV) which can carry up to 12 Reentry Vehicles (RVs), though New START limits the number to eight.

What is the lead submarine of the Trident II class?

The lead submarine of this class is USS Ohio. The 14 Trident II SSBNs together carry about half of U.S. active strategic thermonuclear warheads. Although the Trident missiles have no preset targets when the submarines go on patrol, [citation needed] they can be given targets quickly,…

What kind of missiles do the Ohio class submarines carry?

The Ohio Class submarines serve the US Navy as virtually undetectable undersea launch platforms of intercontinental missiles. The ballistic missile submarine USS Maine (SSBN 741). Credit: US Pacific Fleet. USS Alaska (SSBN 732) in dry dock. Credit: Submarine Group Ten. An unarmed Trident II (D5LE) missile.

What is the history of the Ohio class submarines?

The Ohio class was designed in the 1970s to carry the concurrently designed Trident submarine-launched ballistic missile. The first eight Ohio -class submarines were armed at first with 24 Trident I C4 SLBMs. Beginning with the ninth Trident submarine, Tennessee, the remaining boats were equipped with the larger, three-stage Trident II D5 missile.

How many Trident missiles are there in the US Navy?

The ten Trident submarines in the Atlantic fleet were initially equipped with the D-5 Trident II missile. The eight submarines in the Pacific were initially equipped with the C-4 Trident I missile. In 1996 the Navy started to backfit the eight submarines in the Pacific to carry the D-5 missile.