TRIDENT I C-4
TRIDENT, named for the three pronged spear (TRIDENT) of mythology's King Neptune is the Navy's third generation fleet ballistic missile program. It is a part of the Nation's strategic deterrent triad, which also includes land-based missile systems and manned bombers.
The TRIDENT I, or C-4 missile, represents a quantum leap in technology and capability of the fleet ballistic missile (over the POLARIS/-POSEIDON predecessors). The missile has a range of more that 4,000 nautical miles, more that 1,500 nautical miles greater than POLARIS.
General Characteristics
| Primary Function: | Strategic Nuclear Deterrence |
|---|---|
| Power Plant: | Three-stage solid-propellant rocket |
| Thrust: | First stage, 202,600 pounds (91,170 kilograms) |
| Length: | 34 feet (10.2 meters) |
| Weight: | 73,000 pounds (32,850 kg) |
| Diameter: | 74 inches (1.8 meters) |
| Range: | 4,000 nautical miles (4,600 statute miles or 7,360 km) |
| Guidance systems: | Inertial |
| Warheads: | Nuclear MIRV (Multiple Independently Targetable Reentry Vehicles) |
| Date Deployed: | 1976 |