A Demonstration and Shakedown Operation (DASO) is a series of missile tests conducted by the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

and the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against F ...

. These tests are employed to validate a weapon system (SLBM) and ensure a submarine crew's readiness to use that system. A shakedown operation usually occurs after a refueling and overhaul process or construction of a new submarine. Testing of missile systems allows collection of flight-data, and examinations of submarine launch platforms. The first DASO test occurred July 20, 1960 on the USS George Washington, using the

Polaris A-1 The UGM-27 Polaris missile was a two-stage solid-fueled nuclear-armed submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM). As the United States Navy's first SLBM, it served from 1961 to 1980. In the mid-1950s the Navy was involved in the Jupiter missile ...

. Modern tests use the

UGM-133 Trident II The UGM-133A Trident II, or Trident D5 is a submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM), built by Lockheed Martin Space in Sunnyvale, California, and deployed with the US Navy, American and Royal Navy, British navies. It was first deployed in M ...

, launching from an

Ohio-class submarine The ''Ohio'' class of nuclear-powered submarines includes the United States Navy's 14 ballistic missile submarines (SSBNs) and its four cruise missile submarines (SSGNs). Each displacing 18,750 tons submerged, the ''Ohio''-class boats are the ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Demonstration and Shakedown Operation (DASO) Aerospace engineering Product testing Ballistic missile submarines