Trident D5 Ballistic Missile

Carried only by our four Vanguard-class submarines, the Trident can be fired at targets up to 7,000 miles away, ejected from their silos by high-pressure gas before the rockets fire when the missile reaches the surface. At its fastest, the missile travels at over 13,000 miles an hour.

Each Vanguard boat has 16 missile tubes, and each missile has the ability to deliver eight warheads – Multiple Independent Targetab against a dozen different targets.

Each individual warhead is around eight times more powerful than the nuclear bomb used at Hiroshima. One dummy Trident missile – minus the warheads – is fired by each Vanguard-class submarine during its commission to ensure the system is fully operational.