Missile · Undersea
Trident II D5
Submarine-launched ballistic missile supported by Lockheed Martin and deployed aboard U.S. Ohio-class and UK Vanguard-class submarines. Separate from the next-generation D5LE2 development program.
by Lockheed Martin · First fielded 1990
- Milestones0
- Operators2
- Components—
- Programs—
- Capabilities—
- Inputs1
Photo: John Kowalski · Public domain (PD-USGov) · Full source frame retained; resized without upscaling and encoded as WebP.
Submarine-launched ballistic missile supported by Lockheed Martin and deployed aboard U.S. Ohio-class and UK Vanguard-class submarines. Separate from the next-generation D5LE2 development program.
Timeline
No milestones recorded for Trident II D5 yet. First fielded in 1990. The timeline fills in as unveilings, tests, contracts and deliveries are sourced.
Operators2
- GBUnited Kingdom
- USUnited States
- First fielded
- 1990
Cost to the Government
Missiles · Lockheed Martin
Trident II D5 / D5 Life Extension
The Navy’s published unit-cost reference is separated from current D5 life-extension funding, submarine costs and nuclear warheads.
Navy fact-file unit figure
$30.9M
Fact file reviewed 2026-10-09 · USD · dollar year and detailed scope unspecified by source
The Navy publishes $30.9M without defining a dollar year or detailed acquisition boundary. Historical/general reference, not a verified current D5LE or D5LE2 replacement price.
U.S. Navy ↗U.S. inventory
Not verified
A current U.S. inventory was not established. Annual procurement, cumulative deliveries and production capacity are not a stockpile count.
U.S. procurement quantity
Not verified
No comparable U.S. procurement quantity was established in this review.
R&D program total
Not verified
A lifetime program R&D total was not established. Development contracts and shared program budgets are not substituted for that total.
Cost & funding breakdown
Trident II modifications · procurement + RDT&E
$5.24B
FY2027 request · Nominal USD · source budget basis
Rounded annual procurement and RDT&E combined, as shown in the overview. Not lifetime program cost or a missile unit price.
DoD Comptroller ↗Strategic submarine / weapons RDT&E reference
$1.052B / yr
FY2027 total request · PB2027 · Nominal USD; source budget basis
R-1 PE0101221N Strategic Sub & Weapons System Support. Annual appropriation, not lifetime development. FY2026 includes listed reconciliation spend-plan funds; FY2027 is requested funding. Shared scope; cannot be attributed solely to this product.
Department of Defense Comptroller ↗Missile tubes do not measure missile inventory
The Navy describes submarine compatibility and life extension, but tube capacity cannot establish U.S. missile stockpiles. D5LE2 funding and submarine acquisition are separate, as are nuclear reentry bodies.
Operations & sustainment
Annual operations & support
Not verified
A complete, system-specific annual operating and support cost was not established. Procurement, replacement rounds and contract support are different measures.
Cost over time · 7 observations
Each row retains its original scope and dollar basis. Changing quantities, service life and inflation can change the estimate without changing the price of building one unit.
| Observation | Measure | Amount | Dollar basis | Evidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fact file reviewed 2026-10-09 | Navy fact-file unit figure The Navy publishes $30.9M without defining a dollar year or detailed acquisition boundary. Historical/general reference, not a verified current D5LE or D5LE2 replacement price. | $30.9M | USD · dollar year and detailed scope unspecified by source | U.S. Navy ↗ |
| FY2025 actual · PB2027 | Trident II modifications · procurement + RDT&E Rounded annual procurement and RDT&E combined, as shown in the overview. Not lifetime program cost or a missile unit price. | $2.384B | Nominal USD · source budget basis | DoD Comptroller ↗ |
| FY2026 enacted · PB2027 | Trident II modifications · procurement + RDT&E Rounded annual procurement and RDT&E combined, as shown in the overview. Not lifetime program cost or a missile unit price. | $4.271B | Nominal USD · source budget basis | DoD Comptroller ↗ |
| FY2027 request | Trident II modifications · procurement + RDT&E Rounded annual procurement and RDT&E combined, as shown in the overview. Not lifetime program cost or a missile unit price. | $5.24B | Nominal USD · source budget basis | DoD Comptroller ↗ |
| FY2025 actual · PB2027 | Strategic submarine / weapons RDT&E reference R-1 PE0101221N Strategic Sub & Weapons System Support. Annual appropriation, not lifetime development. FY2026 includes listed reconciliation spend-plan funds; FY2027 is requested funding. Shared scope; cannot be attributed solely to this product. | $326.596M / yr | Nominal USD; source budget basis | Department of Defense Comptroller ↗ |
| FY2026 total enacted / spend plan · PB2027 | Strategic submarine / weapons RDT&E reference R-1 PE0101221N Strategic Sub & Weapons System Support. Annual appropriation, not lifetime development. FY2026 includes listed reconciliation spend-plan funds; FY2027 is requested funding. Shared scope; cannot be attributed solely to this product. | $828.337M / yr | Nominal USD; source budget basis | Department of Defense Comptroller ↗ |
| FY2027 total request · PB2027 | Strategic submarine / weapons RDT&E reference R-1 PE0101221N Strategic Sub & Weapons System Support. Annual appropriation, not lifetime development. FY2026 includes listed reconciliation spend-plan funds; FY2027 is requested funding. Shared scope; cannot be attributed solely to this product. | $1.052B / yr | Nominal USD; source budget basis | Department of Defense Comptroller ↗ |
Contracts & purchasing · 0 records
Award values, ceilings and purchase agreements have different meanings. These records are not added together as total spending.
No primary-source contract record verified in this review. This does not mean there are no contracts.
Connected missiles & systems
Missile and submarine
Ohio-class ballistic missile submarine
D5/D5LE submarine compatibility; missile, submarine and warhead spending are separate.
U.S. Navy ↗Missile and submarine
Columbia-class submarine →D5/D5LE submarine compatibility; missile, submarine and warhead spending are separate.
U.S. Navy ↗
International buyers
United Kingdom · Quantity not verified · Operator under Polaris Sales Agreement · Navy fact file · reviewed 2026-10-09
D5/D5LE supports Vanguard-class submarines. The source does not disclose a current UK purchase quantity or price.
U.S. Navy ↗
Coverage & open research
- A current D5LE/D5LE2 recurring missile price and public U.S. inventory snapshot remain unverified.
- Current complete operations costs and a Trident-only lifetime R&D total remain unresolved.
Unit costs and contract unit prices for this system, and budget figures for the programs that buy it. Each figure states its dollar basis and links its source; contract values are under Programs & awards.
Supply Chain Inputs1
- Ammonium perchlorate
Material
AMPAC's Cedar City plant is the only DoD-approved domestic source of AP for weapons motors. Northrop Grumman was approved as an alternative source for space launch in 2021. AMPAC is adding a line to raise capacity by more than 50%.
CriticalConfirmed
Materials, components and capacity this product depends on. Open an input to see who produces it and the controls on it.