Posted on 11/14/2011 7:09:44 PM PST by sukhoi-30mki
Jinxed submarine HMS Astute finally fires its first missile... and it went without a hitch
Chris Slack
The jinxed submarine HMS Astute has successfully fired its first missile during a test mission in the Gulf of Mexico, the Ministry of Defence has confirmed
The submarine fired a series of Tomahawk missiles at up to 550 miles per hour, a spokeswoman confirmed. Each missile is 5.5-metres in length, weighs 1,300kg and has a range of 1,000 miles.
The successful firing comes seven months after a crew member was killed during a shooting incident when the submarine was in dock at Southampton. Prior to that the boat ran aground off the Isle of Skye in October 2010.
Successful launch: The 5.5-metre long missile, which has a range of 1,000 miles, flies high into the sky during its test mission
Following the previous incidents, the submarine's Commanding Officer, Commander Iain Breckenridge, was happy with the launch.
He said: 'This first-of-class firing proves that Astute is a truly capable submarine. It means that the UK submarine service will be able to provide the UK's strike capability for many years to come.' More...Surface-to-air missiles could be used to protect London Olympics, says Defence Secretary
The submarine is in the Gulf of Mexico for the first test run of her system. She has the largest weapon-carrying capacity of all the Royal Navy's attack submarines and can hold a combination of up to 38 Tomahawk missiles and Spearfish torpedoes. The UK is the only other country supplied Tomahawk technology by the USA. It has been in operation since 1999 and has been launched from submarines to support operations in Afghanistan, Iraq and, most recently, Libya.
(Excerpt) Read more at dailymail.co.uk ...
There was a shooting incident where a crew member killed one person while it was in port. The boat had also ran aground prior to that. Not exactly earth-shattering events, but then the Daily Mail prefers spice to common sense.
I think that’s the boat that ran aground off the Scottish coast, near the Isle of Skye.
It kept sinking beneath the water.
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