How come the Trident D 5 missile doesn't need fins to stablize it's flight?

Factual Questions
1

It looks like a big, flying dildo in this pic. Why no fins like other missiles?

The UGM-133 Trident II D-5 is the ultimate SLBM (Submarine-Launched Ballistic Missile) of the U.S. Navy

2

I think control surfaces in the rocket exhaust provide stability and control.

3

My understanding, at least re: re-entry vehicles, is that high-speed spinning of the warhead imparts gyroscopic stabilization, much like a bullet.

4

I defer to your explanation. (That said, the source of my information was a former officer who commanded an ICBM silo. Problem is, I’m fuzzy on what he told me.) :wink:

5

See this site on jetavators for more info.

6

Also, a smooth form factor is very useful for an underwater-launched weapon. In any case not even all older ICBMs had fin stabilization – the Titan-2s , for instance, didn’t (I think they used gimballed nozzles).

(Must say, “D-5 Flying Dildo” just does not have the nice ring of “B-17 Flying Fortress” for naming a weapons system…)