back to article Trident test-shot startles West Coast Americans

The US Navy has challenged Orson Welles in the UFO-panic stakes: an un-announced (and thankfully unarmed) Trident missile test over the weekend caught citizens by surprise and sparked a YouTube frenzy. The brasshats decided to launch the missile from an Ohio-class submarine, and while they prudently set up a no-fly zone in the …

  1. Alister

    A likely story...

    <tinfoil hat mode>

    They say it was just a Trident launch now, but we all know it wasn't anything from Earth. They'll be telling us next it was swamp gas from a weather balloon that was trapped in a thermal pocket and reflected the light from Venus....

    </tinfoil hat mode>

    1. Velv
      Alien

      Re: A likely story...

      "now, can you please just look at this little red light".

    2. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      a better video is here

      https://vimeo.com/145029572

      Justin Majeczky was shooting time lapse shots over the San Fran Golden-Gate bridge when he noticed the $100Billion Trident . . .

  2. hplasm
    Mushroom

    If they think that was bad-

    Imagine the surprise they would have felt if the warhead(s) had gone off next.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Mushroom

      Re: If they think that was bad-

      Let's just hope the level of secrecy didn't exclude informing the Russians or the Chinese it was a test launch, else it could have been BOOM!!

      1. Peter2 Silver badge

        Re: If they think that was bad-

        How? Why?

        China and Russia would greatly care if the missile track went anywhere near them. This didn't, and was targeted on American soil. If they detected the launch (not hugely likely) then they really aren't going to care because the range of a SLBM is quite easily calculated and well known, and what could it reach from where this one was launched?

        Nobody is going to inform each other about test missile launches because it's not worth it. Knowing when somebody plans to launch a rocket is simply advertising failure rates in testing when they fail to launch and everybody would rather everybody else think that their launch systems are >99% reliable for obvious reasons.

        1. Trigonoceps occipitalis

          Re: If they think that was bad-

          "Nobody is going to inform each other about test missile launches because it's not worth it."

          During Cold War confidence building measures (the hotline, SALT, START, inspections etc) one agreement was to inform "the other side" of missile tests. No idea if this has changed, I doubt it so Russia and China probably knew about this test.

          Telling the opponents is important. As weapons develop one side or the other will have an advantage. "Launch on Warning" is, at times, a rational position to prevent destruction of your missiles, planes etc. Knowing about test launches is intended to mitigate the risk of tests being misconstrued as the start of a nuclear strike.

          1. Peter2 Silver badge

            Re: If they think that was bad-

            ICBM's, yes. They have Inter Continental range and so could reach China or Russia. This would have the potential to cause extreme panic.

            SLBM's have rather more limited range like a SCUD missile and are carried to within range by the sub. I struggle to see the panic potential of a single missile being launched on a test range when the missile does not actually have the range from the launch point to reach Britain (a US ally) let alone China or Russia.

  3. ratfox
    Happy

    4 millions views! That's a bit like winning the lottery.

  4. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    It is probably an attempt at intimidating the local Churro sales-engineers. If you don't tell us how you make them so tasty, we fire another shot!

  5. jake Silver badge

    "was visible all the way from Northern California"

    For rather small values of "Northern" that quite closely approximate "Southern" ...

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: "was visible all the way from Northern California"

      The article said it was visible from California to Nevada and Arizona. Not from Northern California. The smoke got in the way.

      Besides, the mere fact that it happened in California means you need to discount the statements of most California witnesses. Ask people in Nevada, they'd be more credible.

      It was really cool man, there was like this burst of colors and then it started moving man, I tell you the last time I saw something like that I ate a quarter pound of these 'shrooms...and anyway there was this burst of colors and they were moving man, like dancing gnomes dude.

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: "was visible all the way from Northern California"

        You're right. It was Jesus.

      2. jake Silver badge

        @AC (was: Re: "was visible all the way from Northern California")

        "The article said it was visible from California to Nevada and Arizona. Not from Northern California."

        Please re-read TFA. For context, this time. It clearly states "According to Slate's Bad Astronomer Phil Plait, the launch was visible all the way from Northern California to Nevada and Arizona."

        Santa Rosa is what I consider the southern-most portion of Northern California. Thus the "For rather small values of "Northern" that quite closely approximate "Southern"" comment.

      3. PT

        Re: "was visible all the way from Northern California"

        I live in Nevada (Las Vegas). I wasn't looking at the time this shot went off so I didn't see it, but launches from Vandenberg AFB, which is about 300 miles away, are easily visible here. The first time I saw one it was close to 11pm, but the smoke trail was lit up by the over-the-horizon sun. It went so high it could probably have been seen from Texas.

  6. David Gosnell

    Take note Egypt

    So the incident in Egypt back in August when a Thomson jet had to take evasive action to avoid a missile of some kind was explained away as a routine military exercise. Alarming though this Californian incident may have been to distant onlookers, at least the military thought to close off the relevant civil airspace. On the basis that I can't really believe even the Egyptians would have been that reckless, I call diplomatic bullshit* on the official explanation. Sorry to be topical.

    * Or more likely, our so-called investigation ran to asking the Egyptian authorities what happened, and they replied, "Oh no, we have absolutely no terrorists able to bring down an aeroplane by missile (let alone a cargo hold bomb) and destroy our tourist trade overnight, it was just our boys with their toys. Nothing to see..."

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Take note Egypt

      The explanation is simpler.

      1. Go to Wikipedia.

      2. Pull a list of MANPADs

      3. Check which ones a passenger airliner _CAN_ evade and which ones cannot. If it is an active or semi-active IR/UV head it cannot. If it is a laser guided MANPAD it can.

      4. Shortlist the countries manufacturing, the models and the operators in the region and rank them as likelihood of being given to the lunatics by a "well wishing russophobic cretin" supposedly to be used in Syria.

      5. You will there _HAVE_ your explanation.

      6. Bonus points for matching this to the following interesting questions about the Sinai crash:

      A) what exact size of explosive _INSIDE_ the cargo hold would have been needed for it to be visible from space? Bonus points for an explanation of how anything of an airframe can survive that size of explosion.

      B) why the whole front of the airframe hit the ground intact (and burned on the ground later) but _MISSING_ its engines (they are in-between the front and the tail - hundreds of meters away). Bonus points for calculating the size and type of an explosion in the hold which will rip out the engines outside the airplane and leave most of the airframe intact.

      1. Havin_it
        Joke

        @AC Re: Take note Egypt

        >2. Pull a list of MANPADs

        Uh, okay.

        1) Tena Men

        2) Er, that's it (to my admittedly limited knowledge)

    2. YARR

      re. "at least the military thought to close off the relevant civil airspace"

      If they closed off the airspace, why are there so many other lights in the sky on the Vimeo take?

      1. David Gosnell

        > If they closed off the airspace, why are there so many other lights in the sky on the Vimeo take?

        Military observation planes, perhaps? Strictly, I understand the airspace wasn't closed, more of an advisory "keep clear if you don't want a rocket up your ass". I think you can be pretty sure there wasn't anything civilian in the vicinity, ultimately.

  7. s. pam Silver badge
    Black Helicopters

    Americans get all dazed and confused

    By brights lights and shiny objects.

    1. Steve Davies 3 Silver badge

      Re: Americans get all dazed and confused

      Nothing new there then.

      Move along there please..

    2. Mark 85
      Trollface

      Re: Americans get all dazed and confused

      So in reality it was an Apple launch?

  8. Fullbeem

    So where did it land or what was left of it? What goes up must come down.

    Surely launching the thing out and back into the Pacific would have been better but as said above, China or Russia might have made a phone call.

  9. Tom 7

    "Until the explanation, however, the launch provided plenty of material for UFO-fans"

    And it made no difference at all.

  10. Velv
    Boffin

    "tests are classified prior to launch"

    But NOTAMs by their very nature are not. So some people knew something was happening, as they don't close the airspace that often.

  11. Turtle

    Orson Welles And The "War Of The Worlds" Panic.

    That the broadcast of the Welles' adaption actually caused any panic at all is dubious.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_War_of_the_Worlds_%28radio_drama%29#Public_reaction

  12. John Brown (no body) Silver badge
    Alien

    I think the best comment

    ...was the guy asking how far away it was, then commenting he thought it might be crop duster.

    An excellent demonstration of perspective, ie was it something slow and close or something fast and far away. If you don't know what you are looking at in the sky, and have no previous experience to compare with then all you can do is speculate.

    1. Stratman
  13. gbru2606

    Gee Whiz

    The American public don't know what a cruise missile launch looks like, even though their elected & military leaders have rained down over thousands on the Middle east, Libya and Afghanistan.

    1. Andyf

      Re: Gee Whiz

      From the article, this was a Trident ICBM launch, not a cruise missile.

      If the US had been raining down ICBM's in the "thousands on the Middle east, Libya and Afghanistan", I think the flash would have been a bit brighter than the one of the video.

      1. IvyKing
        Mushroom

        Re: Gee Whiz

        Test launches of ICBM's from Vandenburg have been going on for fifty years, remember seeing a Minuteman launch in 1968 that created a nice light show. Point Mugu isn't all that far from Vandenburg.

        Mushroom cloud icon for obvious reasons.

  14. Andyf

    Now, that's what I call a firework!

    1. zebm

      If only they could have launched on Thursday for the benefit of all the ex-pats

  15. Anonymous Coward
    Mushroom

    Sabre rattling

    Suspect this is just a diplomatic and political "hello" to the Russians, Chinese and general electorate.

    1. Grikath

      Re: Sabre rattling

      something like that... It would have shown up something fierce on quite a number of trackers.

      "Hello boys! Don't forget our toys" and all that.

  16. Sir Alien

    Cover story weirdness...

    I am no conspiracy nut job but I do like to occasionally see if their story matches the event sometimes. The bit I found weird is that the light in the sky is white/blue like a hydrogen or similar gas burn yet most ICBM type missiles like trident tend to use solid rocket fuel which burns more yellow/white.

    If this were simply a trident test launch that light in the sky should look a little different. Also since ICBMs are guided as far as I know, they would not need to redirect air traffic as they can control altitude and direction. Now I could be wrong and that particular missile uses a different type of fuel but to my knowledge most ICBMs are solid fuel multi-stage.

    Although it may be nothing serious they could have at least made a better cover story that sounds more authentic.

    - S.A

    1. Desk Jockey

      Re: Cover story weirdness...

      Relying on shaky mobile phone footage (at work so not able to view the videos) shot in the dark is not the best way of analysing rocket fuel colours. Using liquid fuels for any rocket fired from a submarine would be highly unpleasant for the submarine concerned. As there is no land for a looooooong way, let's assume it was a solid fuel booster!

      They could have used the NOTAM to close airspace below a certain level to let normal traffic go past, but since the whole point of an ICBM is to go into orbit then height is kind of important during any test assuming nothing goes wrong at which point nothing being within miles of an exploding or erratic ICBM is VERY important! Regardless, no half wit would try to steer an ICBM around an airliner and if nothing else, keeping the airliners out is sensible to avoid some poor airline pilot having to explain why their pants smell of poop!

      This is not necessrily sabre rattling. All equipment has to be tested at somepoint. Trident is bloody old and while they do upgrade the electronics and bits here and there, no one really wants to rely on a computer (particularly Skynet!) to tell them that it should all work fine... Of course the Yanks don't want people actually watching the Trident launch because the whole point is that it is meant to be a surprise!

      1. Sir Alien

        Re: Cover story weirdness...

        Oh don't get me wrong. I don't take such videos as the gospel truth. Just a few basic observations.

        Though, I did not mean steer the missile around a plane but more at launch point it to a place where air traffic is not active :-P

      2. JimboSmith Silver badge

        Re: Cover story weirdness...

        Actually there's a protocol for informing the Russkies and others of ICBM tests so that there's (hopefully) no chance someone mistakes a test for a first strike launch. Given that there have been enough false alarms over the years at NORAD this seems like a good idea.

    2. cray74

      Re: Cover story weirdness...

      "I am no conspiracy nut job but I do like to occasionally see if their story matches the event sometimes. The bit I found weird is that the light in the sky is white/blue like a hydrogen or similar gas burn yet most ICBM type missiles like trident tend to use solid rocket fuel which burns more yellow/white."

      You're not seeing just the exhaust flames in this video, but rather the condensed exhaust gases - water, aluminum oxide, hydrochloric acid, etc. - catching high altitude sunlight. An Atlas V (with solid boosters) did exactly the same thing in September from an East Coast launch and produced a very similar contrail. The flames are a much smaller part of the contrail than what's shown in these Trident test videos.

      It is nifty, though. Normally you wouldn't see that sort of contrail because a sunlit blue sky drowns out the faint exhaust once a rocket gets to high altitudes, where it expands to an incredible degree. But for launches near dawn or dusk, you can see a lot more because the sky is dark but the exhaust catches the light.

      At least folks on the East Coast stopped hyperventilating about angels and UFOs once they were reminded of the Atlas V launch, the benefits of living near a frequent launch site.

    3. Dan Paul

      Re: Cover story weirdness...

      Trident is a submarine missile and you must be thinking of the old style ICBM that had to be in an underground missile silo. The Trident ICBM's use solid fuel & oxidizer as this is far safer on a submerged vessel. This is also the missile that the US wanted to put in space (since it can handle pressure it can handle vacuum too) and may already have. Funny thing that the cargo hold on the Space Shuttle is exactly the right size to fit six of them and their transport rack. And the Military still has some operational units.

      A Liquid Fuel ICBM was originally the "Atlas" style and several later variations that used liquid fuel.

      However, the color of the flames vary with altitude and velocity. At full speed and high altitude, the flame will be more blue than yellow.

  17. killswtch
    Mushroom

    Extreme marketing

    ... for Fallout 4? Calmly make your way to your nearest vault, citizens.

  18. John Sanders
    Holmes

    So....

    Who did the Americans wanted to notify with this display?

    This is clearly a message to... whom?

    1. Bob Dole (tm)

      Re: So....

      >>This is clearly a message to... whom?

      You should understand that the USA has had the capability to "land" a missile pretty much anywhere on this planet (and a few others) for quite a long time. You should also understand that *any* foreign leader who the USA might want to remember that is already quite well aware of our ICBM capabilities - which would make any public displays rather pointless.

      I'd bet that the real reason for the test firing is that someone found out that the missile command computers automatically upgraded themselves to windows 10 even though they had told them not to and this was just a test firing to make sure the things still worked.

    2. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: So....Did you want to play a game?

      It's a message to anyone of the W.O.P.R. Global Nuclear War wannabees like Iran or North Korea along with a pss to Putin to remember we have WORKING weapons. Ones that get maintained and tested.

      1. allthecoolshortnamesweretaken

        Re: So....Did you want to play a game?

        Or a message from the USN to the USAF?

  19. Sir Alien

    An apparent alternative view...

    Jinkiestv Facebook Video - Blue streak

  20. allthecoolshortnamesweretaken

    Can we expect

    a similar display of fireworks on New Yera's eve over Scotland courtesy of the Royal Navy?

    What is the shelf live / 'best before' of a Trident missile?

  21. David Roberts
    Black Helicopters

    Serious question about MANPADs

    A MANPAD was ruled out because it couldn't reach the altitude of the airliner from a ground launch.

    Google has not been that helpful so far, but the propellant seems to be solid (as discussed above for Trident) so presumably could power the rocket above the theoretical ceiling if there was any left to burn.

    Now presumably the ceiling is above ground level at the launch site so the safe ceiling for airliners is higher above e.g Mont Blanc or Everest than it is above e.g. the Dead Sea.

    If so (and budget militia have a strong track record of repurposing civilian vehicles as military vehicles) is it possible to convert a "ground launch" missile to launch for example from a modified civilian aircraft thus increasing its effective reach?

    As I said, serious question. Is this factored into the safe ceiling for commercial aircraft?

    This does of course lead onto the thought of a civilian aircraft equipped with a proper air to air missile but presumably this level of ordinance is tracked far more closely than bulk produced low cost hand held devices.

    1. Desk Jockey

      Re: Serious question about MANPADs

      A MANPAD only has so much fuel. You cannot extend it by making the rocket larger otherwise it will no longer be portable. If done as a DIY job, won't be particularly aerodynamic or balanced either assuming it did not blow up on you! If it is possible to make it go higher, the manufacturer would have already done so.

      You can in theory extend the height ceiling by sitting on top of a mountain to fire your MANPAD. You would probably be bloody cold as would the manpad electronics. However, factors against you are the reduced oxygen content at height giving the MANPAD motor less grunt. Also your window for locking on and getting the missile into the right place to catch the plan would be limited. Being on top of a mountain is no good if the plane you want to hit, in addition to its height, is a couple of miles to the side of you as opposed to directly above. This is why near airports is a high risk area, the plane is low and slow and everyone knows where the plane will be ie. lined up on the runway.

      The airlines have already assessed where the high risk areas are and avoid them (Ukraine, Syria and now add Egypt to the list). They can't avoid everything in existence so just hope that a terrorist doesn't get hold of a fighter jet and simply shoot one (or more) down. Fortunatey religious fundamentalism and high technical intelligence and skillsets don't often go together!

  22. joshimitsu

    Don't worry dear

    It's only a nuclear missile!

    1. Sir Alien

      Re: Don't worry dear

      I am not concerned at all. My Fallout vault got opened today so I will be moving in soon. :-P

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