The Trident kerfuffle...

The issue is not that the test failed, but that the failure was kept secret. Previous tests have all been publicised, but this wasn't. Of course previous tests were all successful.

It's almost like they thought that publicising a test failure might influence the vote. Of course, I'm absolutely sure they wouldn't have publicised a successful test either (unlike all previous occasions). ;)
 
What concerns me as a taxpayer is that we are spending billions of Pounds on an American missile system that may not always work reliably. And that Mrs May was her normal evasive self when questioned about it. 🙄
 
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SocketRocket said:
Wow, just wow :rolleyes: It was a single missile that developed a fault,that does not mean the system is not suitable or we need to replace it. This is just another non story and yet again an example of people expecting to be kept in touch with things that they dont need to. Leave these issues to the experts.
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There`s a few of them on this forum:whistle::ears:
 
delc said:
What concerns me as a taxpayer is that we are spending billions of Pounds on an American missile system that may not always work reliably. And that Mrs May was her normal evasive self when questioned about it. 
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Does any manufactured product have 100% reliability?
 
SocketRocket said:
Wow, just wow :rolleyes: It was a single missile that developed a fault,that does not mean the system is not suitable or we need to replace it. This is just another non story and yet again an example of people expecting to be kept in touch with things that they dont need to. Leave these issues to the experts.
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Sorry, but the country, with an absolute majority, has decided it is tired of expert. Let them make up their own opinion, even if it ruins it for the rest.
 
larmen said:
Sorry, but the country, with an absolute majority, has decided it is tired of expert. Let them make up their own opinion, even if it ruins it for the rest.
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A missile failure event at a test firing is not really something that needs broadcasting to the country and the world at large. As I said earlier this is a non news event and another example of people looking for any excuse to tarnish the government.
 
SocketRocket said:
A missile failure event at a test firing is not really something that needs broadcasting to the country and the world at large. As I said earlier this is a non news event and another example of people looking for any excuse to tarnish the government.
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You might as well tell the public of the failure as anyone you might not want to know will know. A test firing failure does not tarnish the government; not making the failure public, and then the PM avoiding admitting knowing until boxed-in rather does. May looked very discomforted and uncertain on how to respond when questioned by Marr - that does not fill me with confidence that she'll be able to think well on her feet when faced with Mr Random thought PotUS.
 
SocketRocket said:
I worked as an Engineer in the defense industry for a long time and especially in missile systems. I have been at test firings and experienced failures, we would work out what had failed and do what we could to minimise it happening again. Weapon testing and system training tend to happen simultaneously but the results are not normally subject to public scrutiny.
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Exactly SR - as I said in the title just a kerfuffle over nothing. Sometimes I think our MPs sit around thinking up things to argue about in the same way they did in their school debates when they were 10 years old in the hope a microphone may descend from the heavens and give them their moment of fame.
 
SwingsitlikeHogan said:
You might as well tell the public of the failure as anyone you might not want to know will know. A test firing failure does not tarnish the government; not making the failure public, and then the PM avoiding admitting knowing until boxed-in rather does. May looked very discomforted and uncertain on how to respond when questioned by Marr - that does not fill me with confidence that she'll be able to think well on her feet when faced with Mr Random thought PotUS.
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SILH have you considered running for a position as an MP, or in the Civil Service? You seem to think that the public should know absolutely everything that goes on... If a trident missile launches with a nuclear warhead on board then I wouldn't mind a bit of a heads up (for all the good it would do), but i care as much about routine test launches as I do about what the Rt Hn generic backbench MP has for breakfast.
 
CheltenhamHacker said:
SILH have you considered running for a position as an MP, or in the Civil Service? You seem to think that the public should know absolutely everything that goes on... If a trident missile launches with a nuclear warhead on board then I wouldn't mind a bit of a heads up (for all the good it would do), but i care as much about routine test launches as I do about what the Rt Hn generic backbench MP has for breakfast.
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You'll note that I suggested that in this specific case Theresa May suffered more damage through evasion than she would have if she'd just said that she'd known - but that these things happens in missile testing and it is not in the public interest to know as it would create misunderstandings and be blown out of all proportion,.

By the way - in a previous life I was a Missile Guidance, Control and Navigation Systems Engineer (that was my job title - cool eh :) ). I actually used to design these things (though not Trident - it's a US system) , and so I do know a bit about what we are talking about here. But there was nothing to be gained for May from avoiding stating (not admitting) firmly that - Yes Andy - I knew - now what about it!
 
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murphthemog said:
Failed missile tests do make us look a bit North Korean. Perhaps we should buy from there.
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Really not sure where UK sits with the whole Trident renewal thing and NATO and Trump and cost. When it is America First and when Trump is now going to develop his Star Wars ICBM defense system...the US would be OK - the rest of us?

Just can't get past the niggling thought that Trump just thinks having his own Star Wars system sounds really cool. Pity it is counter to mutually assured destruction - the whole basis for nuclear deterrence.
 
clubchamp98 said:
I am just interested to know what would happen if the self destruct failed in a test .
would we be able to bring it down safely?
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You just have get Steven Seagull on the case. Or Mcgyver.....
I'm sure they can bring it down with a paper plane and a piece of chewing gum.....
 
SocketRocket said:
In a test the missile is not armed so at the worst you have a bigish lump of metal out of control.
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Never did much on the missile test front - the most exciting thing I was involved in was drafting the trundle test for a Rapier backup generator. I can't recall the abort procedure in event of a catastrophic loss of control. Would have been something to do with the Land Rover driver stopping and unhitching it (the catastrophic event being something like a puncture) :)
 
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