Trident 2D5

Trident II D5 is the current U.S. Navy submarine-launched ballistic missile and the successor to Trident I C4. The Navy describes the Fleet Ballistic Missile lineage as evolving from Polaris through Poseidon and Trident I to Trident II, with each generation improving range, payload, and accuracy. Lockheed Martin developed and continues to support the missile and life-extension work for U.S. and U.K. deterrent forces.

The Navy fact file describes Trident II D5 as a three-stage, solid-fuel, inertially guided SLBM with a range of about 4,000 nautical miles and the ability to carry W76 or W88 reentry bodies. Its accuracy, range, and payload capacity make it a strategic ballistic missile rather than a tactical weapon. It should be presented as an SLBM, even when local taxonomy places it under ICBM-like strategic missiles.

Operationally, Trident II D5 arms Ohio-class and Vanguard-class ballistic-missile submarines and is planned to support Columbia- and Dreadnought-class deterrence through life-extension programs. Its value is survivable second-strike capability: submarines can remain hidden while providing strategic nuclear deterrence. The page should focus on deterrence role, not conventional missile employment.