The USS Maryland submarine conducted a successful test flight of Lockheed Martin's Trident II D5 Fleet Ballistic Missile on Aug. 31 in the Atlantic Ocean, the company said Tuesday.

The flight test was an element of a demonstration and shakedown operation to certify the boat's crew and weapon system for strategic outload and patrol, Lockheed said in a statement.

It was the 161st successful Trident II launch since 1989.

The missile was converted into a test configuration using a Lockheed test missile kit that contains range safety devices, tracking systems and flight telemetry instrumentation.

The Trident II D5 is deployed aboard Ohio-class submarines.

The three-stage ballistic missile can travel a nominal range of 4,000 nautical miles and can carry multiple independently targeted re-entry bodies.