Trident Missile
| Trident Missile System | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Type | Long-range precision-guided Anti-ship missile |
| Service history | |
| In service | 2018-Present |
| Used by |  Belfrassee operators |
| Production history | |
| Manufacturer | Aegium Defence Consortium |
| Specifications | |
| Weight | 1,200 kg (2,600 lb) |
| Length | 4.3 m (14 ft) |
| Diameter | 0.55 m (22 in) |
Detonation mechanism | multi-purpose delayed-action fuse |
| Blast yield | 450 kg (990 lb) |
| Engine | Turbofan engine w/ solid-fuel booster |
Operational range | 434 nmi (804 km)+ |
| Speed | 575 mph (925 km/h) |
Guidance system | GPS, inertial navigation, terrain-following radar, passive RF seeker, infrared homing |
Launch platform | Vertical launch systems, air-based platforms, ground-based launch systems |
The Trident Missile System (TMS) is a long-range, precision-guided cruise missile designed for maritime strike operations. The Trident entered service with air forces in 2018 and expanded its capabilities to include vertical launch and submarine deployment in 2022. With its advanced targeting systems and survivability enhancements, the TMS is capable of engaging heavily defended naval assets with a high probability of success. It's development was replace the Spearfish Missile which was now growing increasingly obsolete and eventually replace the Lance Missile as a dedicated anti-ship missile.
The Trident represents a significant technological leap over its predecessors, incorporating advanced stealth features, autonomous targeting capabilities, and a powerful warhead designed to neutralize large surface combatants. The missile’s development was driven by the increasing sophistication of modern naval defenses, requiring a weapon capable of operating effectively in highly contested environments. By integrating cutting-edge technologies, the TMS has become a cornerstone of maritime strike operations for the Belfrasian Armed Forces.
One of the Trident’s standout features is its stealthy design, which includes radar-absorbent materials and a low observable airframe. These features reduce its radar cross-section, allowing it to penetrate dense layers of enemy air defenses. Additionally, the missile’s advanced guidance systems enable it to execute complex flight profiles, including terrain-following and sea-skimming maneuvers, making it extremely difficult to intercept.
The TMS is powered by a high-efficiency turbofan engine, granting it a range of over 800 kilometers (500 miles) in standard configurations. Its long-range capabilities, combined with its precision guidance systems, allow it to engage targets from standoff distances, minimizing the risk to the launching platform. Furthermore, the missile’s modularity enables the integration of future upgrades, ensuring its continued relevance on the battlefield.
The missile carries a 450-kilogram (990-pound) multi-purpose warhead, optimized for penetrating the hulls of modern warships. This warhead employs a delayed-action fuse, ensuring maximum damage to internal systems upon detonation. The combination of kinetic and explosive effects makes the Trident a formidable weapon against a wide range of naval targets, from frigates to aircraft carriers.
In addition to its offensive capabilities, the Trident boasts sophisticated defensive measures, including electronic counter-countermeasures (ECCM) and a low-thermal signature to evade infrared-guided defenses. Its onboard systems include advanced jamming and decoy capabilities, further enhancing its survivability against modern air defense systems.
Since its induction, the Trident has been integrated into a variety of platforms, including strategic bombers, multi-role fighter aircraft, and vertical launch systems on surface and subsurface combatants. This versatility ensures that the missile can be deployed across multiple domains, providing commanders with a flexible and powerful tool for maritime operations.
Design and development
The design of the Trident Missile System reflects its dual emphasis on stealth and precision. The missile’s airframe is constructed from advanced composite materials, incorporating radar-absorbent coatings to minimize its radar cross-section. The low-observable design includes angular surfaces and flush-mounted air intakes, reducing the likelihood of detection by enemy radars. This stealth-focused approach ensures that the TMS can approach heavily defended targets with minimal exposure.
The missile is powered by a turbofan engine capable of delivering consistent thrust across its operational envelope. This engine is optimized for fuel efficiency, granting the Trident a maximum range of over 800 kilometers (500 miles). The engine’s compact design also contributes to the missile’s low thermal signature, making it more challenging for infrared-guided systems to detect and engage it.
Guidance is a key feature of the Trident, with a multi-mode system combining GPS, inertial navigation, and terrain-following radar. This suite ensures accurate mid-course navigation, while a passive radio frequency (RF) seeker and infrared homing system provide precise terminal targeting. These advanced targeting systems allow the missile to engage moving and stationary targets with equal effectiveness, even in electronically contested environments.
The Trident’s ability to execute complex flight paths is enabled by its advanced flight control system. The missile can perform sea-skimming maneuvers to evade radar detection and maintain a low-altitude profile, minimizing its exposure to air defense systems. It can also execute rapid course corrections and evasive maneuvers during its terminal approach, increasing its survivability.
The warhead of the Trident is a 450-kilogram (990-pound) multi-purpose payload, incorporating a shaped charge and fragmentation components. This design maximizes damage against naval vessels by combining explosive force with focused penetration. The delayed-action fuse ensures the warhead detonates within the target’s internal systems, causing catastrophic damage to key components such as propulsion systems, command centers, and weapons magazines.
The missile’s modular design extends beyond its warhead, allowing for future upgrades to its propulsion, guidance, and electronic systems. This adaptability ensures that the Trident remains at the forefront of anti-ship capabilities as technology evolves. Current plans include the integration of AI-driven targeting algorithms and extended-range variants.
Defensive systems are integral to the TMS’s survivability. The missile is equipped with advanced electronic counter-countermeasures (ECCM) to resist jamming and spoofing attempts. Additionally, onboard decoy systems can deploy false signals to mislead enemy air defenses. These features, combined with its stealth and maneuverability, make the Trident highly resilient in contested environments.
Deployment versatility is another hallmark of the Trident’s design. It is compatible with vertical launch systems (VLS) on surface and subsurface ships, and air-based platforms such as bombers and fighters. This multi-platform compatibility ensures seamless integration into existing fleets and broad operational utility.
The missile’s compact dimensions enable efficient storage and transport. When deployed from VLS cells such as the TVES, the Trident requires no additional modifications to the launch platform, simplifying integration.
Advanced production techniques have reduced the Trident’s maintenance requirements, ensuring high readiness levels and minimizing lifecycle costs. Its robust design and modularity also simplify logistics, enabling efficient upgrades and repairs in the field.
In summary, the Trident’s design embodies a balance of stealth, precision, and adaptability. Its advanced features ensure that it remains a key asset for maritime strike operations, capable of addressing the challenges of modern naval warfare.
Ground based launchers
The Trident Missile System has been further adapted for ground-based deployment, further enhancing its versatility and strategic utility. Ground-based variants of the Trident leverage the missile’s long-range precision strike capabilities to engage naval targets from coastal installations and execute land-attack missions when required. This adaptation extends the reach of Belfrasian Armed Forces’ coastal defense networks, providing an additional layer of deterrence and operational flexibility.
Ground-based Trident launch systems utilize modular canisterized launchers, which are compatible with both fixed and mobile platforms. These launchers enable rapid deployment and redeployment, allowing commanders to adjust their defenses based on shifting tactical scenarios. The mobility of the system ensures its survivability against preemptive strikes, while fixed installations offer strategic endurance in critical areas.
The Trident’s guidance systems have been optimized for land-based operations, integrating seamlessly with ground-based command and control (C2) networks. These networks provide real-time targeting data, mid-course updates, and mission adjustments, ensuring the missile’s effectiveness in dynamic combat environments. The same GPS, inertial navigation, and terminal homing technologies that underpin the maritime and air-launched variants are retained, ensuring consistent performance across platforms.
Coastal defense roles represent the primary use case for the ground-based Trident. Positioned along strategic coastlines, these systems serve as a deterrent against hostile naval incursions, capable of striking surface ships well beyond visual range. Additionally, the missile’s adaptability allows it to engage land-based infrastructure or mobile targets, broadening its operational applications and making it a key asset in modern warfare.
The implementation of ground-based Trident launch systems underscores the Belfrasian Armed Forces’ commitment to maintaining a flexible and robust defense posture. By integrating this capability, the military has ensured that the Trident remains a versatile and indispensable component of its arsenal, capable of addressing threats across multiple domains and operating environments.