British Nuclear Weapons Part 3: Trident
Via BBC The final instalment of the British Nuclear Weapons series will of course be focused on the current system in place that is Trident. Origins In 1980, the government made the decision to obtain a Trident C4 missile system to begin replacing Polaris. In 1982, the decision was made to instead obtain a D5 missile which was financially beneficial for Britain since it was the same missile used by the US Navy. The 1958 Mutual Defence Agreement and the 1963 Polaris Sales Agreement allow Britain to procure Trident missiles from the US at a lower cost whilst retaining British nuclear independence. From 1994, 4 Vanguard-class submarines which carried Trident missiles slowly replaced the Resolution-class submarines, ending the Polaris/Chevaline systems . The Polaris era officially ended on 28 August 1996. Image: Danny Lawson/PA via Telegraph HMS Vigilant What is Trident? Trident is the nuclear weapons system introduced after the Polaris/Chevaline systems. The Defence Co