Polaris (UK nuclear programme)

The Polaris programme refers to the British nuclear weapons system that was developed in the 1960s. It consisted of a fleet of nuclear-armed submarines capable of carrying the Polaris missile, which was designed for deterrence during the Cold War. The Polaris submarines gave the United Kingdom a credible second-strike capability, meaning that they could respond to a nuclear attack with their own nuclear weapons, thus serving as a deterrent to potential aggressors.