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Virginia-class submarine

January 20, 2023

The Virginia class, also known as the SSN-774 class, is a class of nuclear-powered cruise missile fast-attack submarines, in service in the United States Navy. Designed by General Dynamics Electric Boat (EB) and Huntington Ingalls Industries, the Virginia class is the United States Navy's latest submarine model, which incorporates the latest in stealth, intelligence gathering, and weapons systems technology.[10][11]

Virginia-class SSN profile
USS Virginia underway in July 2004
Class overview
Builders
Operators United States Navy
Preceded by Seawolf class
Succeeded bySSN(X) class[3]
Cost$2.8 billion per unit (2019);[1] $3.45 billion per unit w/ VPM (2021)[2]
Built2000–present
In commission2004–present
Planned66[2]
On order2
Building6
Completed22
Active21
General characteristics
TypeNuclear attack submarine
Displacement
  • Submerged:
  • Block I–IV: 7,900 t (8,700 short tons)
  • Block V: 10,200 t (11,200 short tons)[4]
Length
  • 377 ft (115 m)
  • 460 ft (140 m) for Block V[4]
Beam34 ft (10 m)
Propulsion1 × S9G nuclear reactor[5] 280,000 hp (210 MW)

2 × steam turbines 40,000 shp (30 MW) 1 × single shaft pump-jet propulsor[5]

1 × secondary propulsion motor[5]
Speed25 knots (46 km/h; 29 mph) or over[9][unreliable source?]
RangeUnlimited
EnduranceOnly limited by food and maintenance requirements.
Test depthOver 800 ft (240 m)[6]
Complement135 (15 officers; 120 enlisted)
Armament

Virginia-class submarines are designed for a broad spectrum of open-ocean and littoral missions, including anti-submarine warfare and intelligence gathering operations. They are scheduled to replace older Los Angeles-class submarines, many of which have already been decommissioned. Virginia-class submarines will be acquired through 2043, and are expected to remain in service until at least 2060, with later submarines expected to remain into the 2070s.[12][13]

History

 
Rendering of a Virginia-class attack submarine

The class was developed under the codename Centurion, later renamed New SSN (NSSN).[14][15] The "Centurion Study" was initiated in February 1991.[16] The Virginia-class submarine was the first US Navy warship with its development coordinated using such 3D visualization technology as CATIA, which comprises computer-aided engineering (CAE), design (CAD), manufacturing (CAM), and product lifecycle management (PLM). Design problems for Electric Boat – and maintenance problems for the Navy – ensued nonetheless.[17][18][19]

By 2007 approximately 35 million labor hours had been spent to design the Virginia class.[20] Constructing a single Virginia-class submarine has required around nine million labor hours,[19][21][22] and over 4,000 suppliers.[23] Each submarine is projected to make 14–15 deployments during its 33-year service life.[24]

The Virginia class was intended in part as a less expensive alternative to the Seawolf-class submarine ($1.8 billion vs $2.8 billion), whose production run was canceled after just three boats had been completed. To reduce costs, the Virginia-class submarines use many "commercial off-the-shelf" (COTS) components, especially in their computers and data networks. Improvements in shipbuilding technology have trimmed production costs below the $1.8 billion projected fiscal year 2009 dollars.[25]

In hearings before both House of Representatives and Senate committees, the Congressional Research Service (CRS) and expert witnesses testified that the annual procurement rate of only one Virginia-class boat – rising to two in 2012 – would result in excessive unit production costs, yet an insufficient complement of attack submarines.[26] In a 10 March 2005 statement to the House Armed Services Committee, Ronald O'Rourke of the CRS testified that, assuming that the production rate remains as planned, "production economies of scale for submarines would continue to remain limited or poor."[27]

In 2001, Newport News Shipbuilding and the General Dynamics Electric Boat Company built a quarter-scale version of a Virginia-class submarine dubbed Large Scale Vehicle II (LSV II) Cutthroat. The vehicle was designed as an affordable test platform for new technologies.[28][29]

The Virginia class is built through an industrial arrangement designed to maintain both GD Electric Boat and Newport News Shipbuilding, the only two U.S. shipyards capable of building nuclear-powered submarines.[30] Under the present arrangement, the Newport News facility builds the stern, habitability, machinery spaces, torpedo room, sail, and bow, while Electric Boat builds the engine room and control room. The facilities alternate work on the reactor plant as well as the final assembly, test, outfit, and delivery.

O'Rourke wrote in 2004 that, "Compared to a one-yard strategy, approaches involving two yards may be more expensive but offer potential offsetting benefits."[31] Among the claims of "offsetting benefits" that O'Rourke attributes to supporters of a two-facility construction arrangement is that it "would permit the United States to continue building submarines at one yard even if the other yard is rendered incapable of building submarines permanently or for a sustained period of time by a catastrophic event of some kind", including an enemy attack.

In order to get the submarine's price down to $2 billion per submarine in FY-05 dollars, the Navy instituted a cost-reduction program to shave off approximately $400 million of each submarine's price tag. The project was dubbed "2 for 4 in 12," referring to the Navy's desire to buy two boats for $4 billion in FY-12. Under pressure from Congress, the Navy opted to start buying two boats per year in FY-11, meaning that officials would not be able to get the $2 billion price tag before the service started buying two submarines per year. However, program manager Dave Johnson said at a conference on 19 March 2008 that the program was only $30 million away from achieving the $2 billion price goal, and would reach that target on schedule.[32]

The Virginia-class Program Office received the David Packard Excellence in Acquisition Award in 1996, 1998, 2008, "for excelling in four specific award criteria: reducing life-cycle costs; making the acquisition system more efficient, responsive, and timely; integrating defense with the commercial base and practices; and promoting continuous improvement of the acquisition process".[33]

In December 2008, the Navy signed a $14 billion contract with General Dynamics and Northrop Grumman to supply eight submarines. The contract required the delivery of one submarine in each of fiscal 2009 and 2010, and two submarines on each of fiscal 2011, 2012, and 2013.[34] This contract was designed to bring the Navy's Virginia-class fleet to 18 submarines. In December 2010, the United States Congress passed a defense authorization bill that expanded production to two subs per year.[35] Two submarine-per-year production resumed on 2 September 2011 with commencement of Washington (SSN-787) construction.[36]

On 21 June 2008, the Navy christened USS New Hampshire, the first Block II submarine. This boat was delivered eight months ahead of schedule and $54 million under budget. Block II boats are built in four sections, compared to the ten sections of the Block I boats. This enables a cost saving of about $300 million per boat, reducing the overall cost to $2 billion per boat and the construction of two new boats per year. Beginning in 2010, new submarines of this class were to have included a software system that can monitor and reduce their electromagnetic signatures when needed.[37]

The first full-duration six-month deployment was successfully carried out from 15 October 2009 to 13 April 2010.[38] Authorization of full-rate production and the declaration of full operational capability was achieved five months later.[39] In September 2010, it was found that urethane tiles, applied to the hull to damp internal sound and absorb rather than reflect sonar pulses, were falling off while the subs were at sea.[40] Admiral Kevin McCoy announced that the problems with the Mold-in-Place Special Hull Treatment for the early subs had been fixed in 2011, then Minnesota was built and found to have the same problem.[41]

In 2013, just as two-per-year sub construction was supposed to commence, Congress failed to resolve the United States fiscal cliff, forcing the Navy to attempt to "de-obligate" construction funds.[42]

In April 2019, the Congressional Research Service (CRS) reported that the Navy estimated the cost of a boat was $2.8 billion.[1] In September 2021, the CRS reported that the Navy estimates at the present production rate of two boats per a year that the cost per a boat when equipped with the additional Virginia Payload Module (VPM) mid-body section was $3.45 billion.[2]

Innovations

 
USS North Carolina, the last Block I boat, at her commissioning ceremony. Her advanced masts are visible in this image.

The Virginia class incorporates several innovations not found in previous US submarine classes.[25]

Technology barriers

Because of the low rate of Virginia production, the Navy entered into a program with DARPA to overcome technology barriers to lower the cost of attack submarines so that more could be built, to maintain the size of the fleet.[43]

These include:[44]

  • Propulsion concepts not constrained by a centerline shaft.
  • Externally stowed and launched weapons (especially torpedoes).
  • Conformal alternatives to the existing spherical sonar array.
  • Technologies that eliminate or substantially simplify existing submarine hull, mechanical, and electrical systems.
  • Automation to reduce crew workload for standard tasks

Unified Modular Masts

Virginia-class subs are the first class where all masts share common design - the Universal Modular Mast (UMM) - designed by L3 KEO[45] (previously Kollmorgen).[46][47] Shared components have been maximized and some design choices are also shared between different masts. The first UMM was installed on USS Memphis, a Los Angeles-class submarine.[48] The UMM is an integrated system for housing, erecting, and supporting submarine mast-mounted antennas and sensors.[49] The UMMs are the following:

  • Snorkel mast[50]
  • Two photonic masts[50]
  • Two communication masts[50]
  • One or two high-data-rate satellite communication (SATCOM) masts,[51] built by Raytheon,[52] enabling communication at Super High Frequency (for downlink) and Extremely High Frequency (for uplink) range[50][52][53]
  • Radar mast (carrying AN/BPS-16 surface search and navigation radar)[50][54]
  • Electronic warfare mast (AN/BLQ-10 Electronic Support Measures) used to detect, analyze, and identify both radar and communication signals from ships, aircraft, submarines, and land-based transmitters[50][55][56][57]

Photonics masts

The Virginia class is the first to utilize photonic sensors instead of a traditional periscope. The class is equipped with high-resolution cameras, along with light-intensification and infrared sensors, an infrared laser rangefinder, and an integrated Electronic Support Measures (ESM) array. Two redundant sets of these sensors are mounted on two AN/BVS-1 photonics masts[25] located outside the pressure hull. Signals from the masts' sensors are transmitted through optical fiber data lines through signal processors to the control center.[58] Visual feeds from the masts are displayed on liquid-crystal display interfaces in the command center.[18]

The design of earlier optical periscopes required them to penetrate the pressure hull, reducing the structural integrity of the pressure hull as well as increasing the risk of flooding, and also required the submarine's control room to be located directly below the sail/fin.[59] Implementation of photonics masts (which do not penetrate the pressure hull) enabled the submarine control room to be relocated to a position inside the pressure hull which is not necessarily directly below the sail.[50]

The current photonics masts have a visual appearance so different from ordinary periscopes that when the submarine is detected, it can be distinctly identified as a Virginia-class vessel. As a result, current photonic masts will be replaced with Low-Profile Photonics Masts (LPPM) which resemble traditional submarine periscopes more closely.[50]

In the future, a non-rotational Affordable Modular Panoramic Photonics Mast may be fitted, enabling the submarine to obtain a simultaneous 360° view of the sea surface.[60][61]

Propulsor

In contrast to a traditional bladed propeller, the Virginia class uses pump-jet propulsors by BAE Systems,[62] originally developed for the Royal Navy's Swiftsure-class submarines.[63] The propulsor significantly reduces the risks of cavitation, and allows quieter operation.

Improved sonar systems

Sonar arrays aboard Virginia-class submarines have an "Open System Architecture" (OSA) which enables rapid insertion of new hardware and software as they become available. Hardware upgrades (dubbed Technology Insertions) are usually carried out every four years, while software updates (dubbed Advanced Processor Builds) are carried out every two years. Virginia-class submarines feature several types of sonar arrays.[64]

  • BQQ-10 bow-mounted spherical active/passive sonar array[64][65] (Large Aperture Bow (LAB) sonar array from SSN-784 onward)
  • A wide aperture lightweight fiber optic sonar array, consisting of three flat panels mounted low along either side of the hull[66]
  • Two high frequency active sonars mounted in the sail and bow. The chin-mounted (below the bow) and sail-mounted high frequency sonars supplement the (spherical/LAB) main sonar array, enabling safer operations in coastal waters, enhancing under-ice navigation, and improving anti-submarine warfare performance.[67][68]
  • Low-Cost Conformal Array (LCCA) high frequency sonar, mounted on both sides of the submarine's sail. Provides coverage above and behind the submarine.[69]

Virginia-class submarines are also equipped with a low frequency towed sonar array and a high frequency towed sonar array.[70]

  • TB-16 or TB-34 fat line tactical towed sonar array[71][72]
  • TB-29 or TB-33 thin line long-range search towed sonar array[71][72]

Rescue equipment

Virginia Payload Module

 
USS John Warner at her commissioning ceremony on 1 August 2015, with forward Virginia Payload Tube hatch open

The Block III submarines have two multipurpose Virginia Payload Tubes (VPT) replacing the dozen single purpose cruise missile launch tubes.[76]

The Block V submarines built from 2019 onward will have an additional Virginia Payload Module (VPM) mid-body section, increasing their overall length. The VPM will add four more VPTs of the same diameter and greater height, located on the centerline, carrying up to seven Tomahawk missiles apiece, that would replace some of the capabilities lost when the SSGN conversion Ohio-class submarines are retired from the fleet.[31][77] Initially eight payload tubes/silos were planned[77] but this was later rejected in favor of four tubes installed in a 70-foot (21 m) long module between the operations compartment and the propulsion spaces.[77][78][79]

The VPM could potentially carry (non-nuclear) medium-range ballistic missiles. Adding the VPM would increase the cost of each submarine by $500 million (2012 prices).[80] This additional cost would be offset by reducing the total submarine force by four boats.[81] More recent reports state that as a cost reduction measure the VPM would carry only Tomahawk SLCM and possibly unmanned undersea vehicles (UUV) with the new price tag now estimated at $360–380 million per boat (in 2010 prices). The VPM launch tubes/silos will reportedly be similar in design to the ones planned for the Ohio-class replacement.[82][83] In July 2016 General Dynamics was awarded $19 million for VPM development.[84] In February 2017 General Dynamics was awarded $126 million for long lead time construction of Block V submarines equipped with VPM.[85]

The VPM was designed by BWX Technologies[86] (the same company also designs the missile tubes for the Columbia-class submarine),[87] however, manufacture is undertaken by BAE Systems.[88]

High-energy laser weapon

According to open-source budget documents, Virginia-class submarines are planned to be equipped with a high-energy laser weapon likely to be incorporated into the photonics mast and have a power output of 300–500 kilowatts, based on the submarine's 210 megawatts reactor capacity.[89][90]

Other improved equipment

 
Virginia-class diesel generator control panel
  • Optical fiber fly-by-wire Ship Control System replaces electro-hydraulic systems for control surface actuation.
  • Command and control system module (CCSM) built by Lockheed Martin.[9][91]
  • The auxiliary generator is powered by a Caterpillar model 3512B V-12 marine diesel engine. This replaced the Fairbanks-Morse diesel engine, which would not fit in Virginia's auxiliary machinery room.
  • Modernized version of the AN/BSY-1 integrated combat system[15] designated AN/BYG-1 (previously designated CCS Mk2) and built by General Dynamics AIS (previously Raytheon).[92][93] AN/BYG-1 integrates the submarine Tactical Control System (TCS) and Weapon Control System (WCS).[94][95]
  • USS California was the first Virginia-class submarine with the advanced electromagnetic signature reduction system built into it, but this system is being retrofitted into the other submarines of the class.[96]
  • Integral 9-man lock-out diving chamber.[97]

Specifications

 
Lead boat Virginia under construction
  • Builders: General Dynamics Electric Boat and HII Newport News Shipbuilding
  • Length: 377 ft (114.91 m) [Block V: 460 ft (140.2 m)]
  • Beam: 34 ft (10.36 m)
  • Displacement: 7,800 long tons (7,900 t) [Block V: 10,200 long tons (10,400 t)
  • Payload: 40 weapons, special operations forces, unmanned undersea vehicles, Advanced SEAL Delivery System (ASDS) [Block V: 40 Tomahawk cruise missiles]
  • Propulsion: S9G nuclear reactor delivering 40,000 shaft horsepower (30 MW).[98] Nuclear core life estimated at 33 years.[99] Nuclear fuel manufactured by BWX Technologies.[100][101]
  • Test depth: greater than 800 ft (240 m), allegedly around 1,600 feet (490 m).[97]
  • Speed: Greater than 25 knots (46 km/h; 29 mph),[102] allegedly up to 35 knots (65 km/h; 40 mph)[103][104][105]
  • Planned cost: about US$1.65 billion each (based on FY95 dollars, 30-boat class and two boat/year build-rate)
  • Actual cost: US$1.5 billion (in 1994 prices), US$2.6 billion (in 2012 prices)[106][107]
  • Annual operating cost: $50 million per unit (in 2012 prices)[108]
  • Crew: 120 enlisted and 14 officers
  • Armament: 12 VLS & four torpedo tubes, capable of launching Mark 48 torpedoes, UGM-109 Tactical Tomahawks, Harpoon missiles[109] and the new advanced mobile mine when it becomes available.[110] Block V boats will have the additional VPM module which contains four large diameter tubes which can accommodate seven Tomahawk cruise missiles each. This would increase the total number of torpedo-sized weapons (such as Tomahawks) carried by the Virginia-class design from about 37 to about 65—an increase of about 76%.[111]
  • Decoys: Acoustic Device Countermeasure Mk 3/4[112]

Blocks

Block I

 
USS Texas the second Block I boat at her christening ceremony.

Block I involved 4 boats and modular construction techniques were incorporated during construction.[113] Earlier submarines (e.g., Los Angeles-class SSNs) were built by assembling the pressure hull and then installing the equipment via cavities in the pressure hull. This required extensive construction activities within the narrow confines of the pressure hull which was time-consuming and dangerous. Modular construction was implemented in an effort to overcome these problems and make the construction process more efficient. Modular construction techniques incorporated during construction include constructing large segments of equipment outside the hull. These segments (dubbed rafts) are then inserted into a hull section (a large segment of the pressure hull). The integrated raft and hull section form a module which, when joined with other modules, forms a Virginia-class submarine.[114] Block I boats were built in 10 modules with each submarine requiring roughly 7 years (84 months) to build.[115]

Block II

 
USS New Hampshire, the first of the Block II boats

Block II involved 6 boats; they were built in four sections rather than ten sections, saving about $300 million per boat. Block II boats (excluding SSN-778) were also built under a multi-year procurement agreement as opposed to a block-buy contract in Block I, enabling savings in the range of $400 million ($80 million per boat).[31][24] As a result of improvements in the construction process, New Hampshire was US$500 million cheaper, required 3.7 million fewer labor hours to build (25% less), thus shortening the construction period by 15 months (20% less) compared to Virginia.[114]

Block III

 
USS North Dakota, the first of the VPT-equipped Block III Virginia-class submarines.

SSN-784 through SSN-791 (8 boats) make up the Third Block or "Flight" and began construction in 2009. Block III subs feature a revised bow with a Large Aperture Bow (LAB) sonar array, as well as technology from Ohio-class SSGNs (2 VLS tubes each containing 6 missiles).[116] The horseshoe-shaped LAB sonar array replaces the spherical main sonar array which has been used on all U.S. Navy SSNs since 1960.[24][117][118] The LAB sonar array is water-backed—as opposed to earlier sonar arrays which were air-backed—and consists of a passive array and a medium-frequency active array.[119] Compared to earlier Virginia-class submarines about 40% of the bow has been redesigned.[clarification needed][120]

South Dakota (SSN-790) will be equipped with a new propulsor,[121] possibly the Hybrid Multi-Material Rotor (HMMR),[122][123] developed by Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA).[121] The Hybrid Multi-Material Rotor program is an attempt to improve the design and manufacturing process of submarine propellers with an aim of reducing the cost and weight of the propeller/rotor as well as improving overall acoustic performance.[121][122][123]

Block IV

 
USS Vermont is the first Block IV Virginia-class submarine.

Block IV involved 10 boats. In 2013, execution of this 10-submarine contract was put in doubt by budget sequestration in 2013.[124] The most costly shipbuilding contract in history was awarded on 28 April 2014 as prime contractor General Dynamics Electric Boat took on a $17.6 billion contract for ten Block IV Virginia-class attack submarines. The main improvement over the Block III is the reduction of major maintenance periods from four to three, increasing each boat's total lifetime deployments by one.[125]

The long-lead-time materials contract for SSN-792 was awarded on 17 April 2012, with SSN-793 and SSN-794 following on 28 December 2012.[126][127] The U.S. Navy has awarded General Dynamics Electric Boat a $208.6 million contract modification for the second fiscal year (FY) 14 Virginia-class submarine, SSN-793, and two FY 15 submarines, SSN-794 and SSN-795. With this modification, the overall contract is worth $595 million.[128] Block IV consists of 10 submarines.[129]

Block V

Block V involves 10 boats and may incorporate the Virginia Payload Module (VPM), which would give guided-missile capability when the SSGNs are retired from service.[130] The Virginia Payload Module will be included on Block V submarines starting with the second boat, SSN-803.[131] The Block V boats with VPM are expected to triple the capacity of shore targets for each boat.[13] Construction on the first two boats of this block was expected to begin in 2019 but was pushed back to 2020, with contracts for long lead time material for SSN-802 and SSN-803 being awarded to General Dynamic's Electric Boat.[132][133] HII Newport News Shipbuilding was awarded a long-lead materials contract for two Block V boats in 2017, the first Block Vs for the company.[134]

On 2 December 2019, the Navy announced an order for nine new Virginia-class submarines – eight Block Vs and one Block IV – for a total contract price of $22 billion with an option for a tenth boat.[135] The Block V subs were confirmed to have an increased length, from 377 ft (115 m) to 460 ft (140 m), and displacement, from 7,800 tons to 10,200 tons. This would make the Block V the second-largest US submarine, behind only the Ohio class (at 560 ft; 170 m).[4]

On 22 March 2021, the U.S. Navy added a 10th ship in Block V series of the Virginia-class attack submarine, issuing a $2.4 billion adjustment on the December 2019 contract. This brings the total cost of the contract with prime contractor General Dynamics Electric Boat to $24.1 billion. The net increase for the contract is $1.89 billion, according to a General Dynamics release. Huntington Ingalls Industries' Newport News shipyard is the partner yard in the program.[136]

Boats in class

Name Hull number Block Builder Ordered Laid down Launched Commissioned Status
Virginia SSN-774 I General Dynamics Electric Boat, Groton, CT 30 September 1998 2 September 1999 16 August 2003 23 October 2004 In service[137]
Texas SSN-775 I Newport News Shipbuilding, Newport News, VA 12 July 2002 9 April 2005 9 September 2006 In service[138]
Hawaii SSN-776 I General Dynamics Electric Boat, Groton, CT 27 August 2004 17 June 2006 5 May 2007 In service[139]
North Carolina SSN-777 I Newport News Shipbuilding, Newport News, VA 22 May 2004 5 May 2007 3 May 2008 In service[140]
New Hampshire SSN-778 II General Dynamics Electric Boat, Groton, CT 14 August 2003 30 April 2007 21 February 2008 25 October 2008[141] In service
New Mexico SSN-779 II Newport News Shipbuilding, Newport News, VA 12 April 2008 18 January 2009 27 March 2010[142] In service
Missouri SSN-780 II General Dynamics Electric Boat, Groton, CT 27 September 2008 20 November 2009 31 July 2010[143][144] In service
California SSN-781 II Huntington Ingalls Industries, Newport News, VA 1 May 2009 14 November 2010 29 October 2011[145] In service
Mississippi SSN-782 II General Dynamics Electric Boat, Groton, CT 9 June 2010 10 December 2011 2 June 2012[146] In service
Minnesota SSN-783 II Huntington Ingalls Industries, Newport News, VA 20 May 2011 10 November 2012 7 September 2013[147][148] In service
North Dakota SSN-784 III General Dynamics Electric Boat, Groton, CT 14 August 2003 11 May 2012[149] 15 September 2013[149] 25 October 2014[149] In service[149]
John Warner SSN-785 III Huntington Ingalls Industries, Newport News, VA 22 December 2008 16 March 2013[150] 10 September 2014[150] 1 August 2015[150] In service[150]
Illinois SSN-786 III General Dynamics Electric Boat, Groton, CT 2 June 2014[151] 8 August 2015[151] 29 October 2016[152] In service[152]
Washington SSN-787 III Huntington Ingalls Industries, Newport News, VA 22 November 2014[153] 25 March 2016[153] 7 October 2017[154] In service
Colorado SSN-788 III General Dynamics Electric Boat, Groton, CT 7 March 2015[155] 29 December 2016 17 March 2018[156] In service
Indiana SSN-789 III Huntington Ingalls Industries, Newport News, VA 16 May 2015[157] 9 June 2017 29 September 2018[158] In service
South Dakota SSN-790 III General Dynamics Electric Boat, Groton, CT 4 April 2016[159] 14 October 2017 2 February 2019[160] In service
Delaware SSN-791 III Huntington Ingalls Industries, Newport News, VA 30 April 2016[161] 17 December 2018 4 April 2020[162] In service
Vermont SSN-792 IV General Dynamics Electric Boat, Groton, CT 28 April 2014 c. February 2017 29 March 2019 18 April 2020[163] In service[164][165][166]
Oregon SSN-793 IV 8 July 2017[167] 25 June 2020 28 May 2022[168] In service[164]
Montana SSN-794 IV Huntington Ingalls Industries, Newport News, VA 16 May 2018[169] 8 February 2021 25 June 2022[170] In service[171]
Hyman G. Rickover SSN-795 IV General Dynamics Electric Boat, Groton, CT 11 May 2018 26 August 2021 Launched[172][173]
New Jersey SSN-796 IV Huntington Ingalls Industries, Newport News, VA 25 March 2019 14 April 2022 Launched[174][175]
Iowa SSN-797 IV General Dynamics Electric Boat, Groton, CT 20 August 2019 Under construction[176]
Massachusetts SSN-798 IV Huntington Ingalls Industries, Newport News, VA 11 Dec 2020[177] Under construction[178]
Idaho SSN-799 IV General Dynamics Electric Boat, Groton, CT 24 August 2020 Under construction[179]
Arkansas SSN-800 IV Huntington Ingalls Industries, Newport News, VA 19 November 2022 Under construction[180]
Utah SSN-801 IV General Dynamics Electric Boat, Groton, CT 1 September 2021 Under construction[181]
Oklahoma SSN-802 V Huntington Ingalls Industries, Newport News, VA 2 December 2017 Under construction[182]
Arizona SSN-803 V General Dynamics Electric Boat, Groton, CT 7 December 2022 Under construction[183]
Barb SSN-804 V Huntington Ingalls Industries, Newport News, VA 2 December 2019 Under construction[184]
Tang SSN-805 V General Dynamics Electric Boat, Groton, CT Under construction[185]
Wahoo SSN-806 V Huntington Ingalls Industries, Newport News, VA Under construction[185]
Silversides SSN-807 V Under Construction[186]
Unnamed SSN-808 V
Unnamed SSN-809 V
Unnamed SSN-810 V
Unnamed SSN-811 V
Name Hull number Block Builder Ordered Laid down Launched Commissioned Status

Future acquisitions

The Navy plans to acquire at least 34 Virginia-class submarines,[187][188] however, more recent data provided by the Naval Submarine League (in 2011) and the Congressional Budget Office (in 2012) seems to imply that more than 30 submarines may eventually be built. The Naval Submarine League believes that up to 10 Block V boats will be built.[22][189] The same source also states that 10 additional submarines could be built after Block V submarines, with 5 in the so-called Block VI and 5 in Block VII, largely due to the delays experienced with the "Improved Virginia". These 20 submarines (10 Block V, 5 Block VI, 5 Block VII) would carry VPM bringing the total number of Virginia-class submarines to 48 (including the 28 submarines in Blocks I, II, III and IV). The CBO in its 2012 report states that 33 Virginia-class submarines will be procured in the 2013–2032 timeframe,[7] resulting in 49 submarines in total since 16 were already procured by the end of 2012.[190] Such a long production run seems unlikely but another naval program, the Arleigh Burke-class destroyer, is still ongoing even though the first vessel was procured in 1985.[191][192] However, other sources believe that production will end with Block V.[193] In addition, data provided in CBO reports tends to vary considerably compared to earlier editions.[7]

Block VI submarines include an organic ability to employ seabed warfare equipment.[194]

SSN(X)/Improved Virginia

Initially dubbed Future Attack Submarine[195] and Improved Virginia class in Congressional Budget Office (CBO) reports,[7] the SSN(X) or Improved Virginia-class submarines will be an evolved version of the Virginia class.[7]

In late 2014, the US Navy began early preparation work on the SSN(X). It was planned that the first submarine would be procured in 2025. However, their introduction (i.e., procurement of the first submarine) has been pushed back to 2033/2034.[7][196] The long-range shipbuilding plan is for the new SSN to be authorized in 2034, and become operational by 2044 after the last Block VII Virginia is built. Roughly a decade will be spent identifying, designing, and demonstrating new technologies before an analysis of alternatives is issued in 2024. An initial small team has been formed to consult with industry and identify the threat environment and technologies the submarine will need to operate against in the 2050-plus timeframe. One area already identified is the need to integrate with off-board systems so future Virginia boats and the SSN(X) can employ networked, extremely long-ranged weapons. A torpedo propulsion system concept from the Pennsylvania State University could allow a torpedo to hit a target 200 nmi (230 mi; 370 km) away and be guided by another asset during the terminal phase. Targeting information might also come from another platform like a patrol aircraft or an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) launched from the submarine.[197] Researchers have identified a quieter advanced propulsion system and the ability to control multiple unmanned underwater vehicles (UUVs) at once as key SSN(X) components. The future submarines will operate through the end of the 21st century, and potentially into the 22nd century.[198] New propulsion technology, moving beyond the use of a rotating mechanical device to push the boat through the water, could come in the form a biomimetic propulsion system that would eliminate noise-generating moving parts like the drive shaft and the spinning blades of the propulsor.[199]

In 2019, the Congressional Budget Office estimated that the SSN(X) boats could cost up to $5.5 billion per hull. The current Virginia-class boats cost about $2.8 billion per hull, while the Block V boats with the 80-foot Virginia Payload Module will cost about $3.2 billion. "The Navy indicates that the next-generation attack submarine should be faster, stealthier, and able to carry more torpedoes than the Virginia class — similar to the Seawolf-class submarine. CBO therefore assumed that the SSN(X) would be a Seawolf-sized SSN, which displaces about 9,100 tons when submerged, and would have an all-new design in keeping with the Navy's description of it as a fast, lethal next-generation attack submarine", the CBO wrote.[200]

Potential exports

On 16 September 2021, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced that Australia had canceled its contract with French shipbuilder Naval Group for 12 Attack-class diesel-electric submarines based on the French Barracuda-class nuclear submarine.[201] The AUKUS trilateral security pact between Australia, the United Kingdom (UK) and the United States, was announced the same day.[202] Under the pact, the US will share nuclear propulsion technology with Australia the same as it has with the UK since 1958 as will the UK.[203][204] The Royal Australian Navy will now acquire at least eight nuclear-powered submarines armed with conventional weapons to be built in Australia by the Australian Submarine Corporation (ASC).[201]

The basic design and key technologies will be decided by an 18-month research project begun in September 2021 with assistance from the US and UK.[201] It has been reported that Australia may select the Virginia design or use its nuclear propulsion technology in a new design.[205]

Australia will now extend the life of its diesel-electric Collins-class submarines that use the Virginia's AN/BYG-1 Tactical and Weapons Control System and that the Attack class was due to replace.[201][206] Australia may consider leasing nuclear-powered submarines from the US in the interim until the delivery of its future nuclear powered submarines.[201][207][208] In 2011, Professor Ross Babbage of the Australian National University argued that Australia should acquire a fleet of twelve nuclear-powered submarines with Foreign Policy writing that the US should sell or lease Virginia-class submarines to Australia.[209] On 22 November 2021, Australia, UK and the U.S. signed a trilateral agreement to share classified information about nuclear propulsion with Australia's Department of Defence.[210]

See also

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Further reading

  • Clancy, Tom (2002). Submarine: A Guided Tour Inside A Nuclear Warship. New York: Berkley Books. ISBN 978-0-425-18300-7. OCLC 48749330.
  • Christley, J. L. (2000). United States Naval Submarine Force Information Book. Marblehead, Massachusetts: Graphic Enterprises of Marblehead. OCLC 53364278.
  • Christley, Jim (2007). US Nuclear Submarines: The Fast Attack. Oxford, UK. ISBN 978-1-84603-168-7. OCLC 141383046.
  • Cross, Wilbur; Feise, George W. (2003). Encyclopedia of American Submarines. New York: Facts on File. ISBN 978-0-8160-4460-3. OCLC 48131805.
  • Gresham, John; Westwell, Ian (2004). Seapower. Edison, New Jersey: Chartwell Books. ISBN 978-0-7858-1792-5. OCLC 56578494.
  • Holian, Thomas (Winter 2007). . Undersea Warfare. 9 (2). Archived from the original on 31 January 2016. Retrieved 5 June 2015.
  • Johnson, Dave, CAPT; Muniz, Dustin, LTJG (Winter 2007). . Undersea Warfare. 9 (2). Archived from the original on 31 January 2016. Retrieved 5 June 2015.
  • Little, Molly (Summer 2008). . Undersea Warfare Magazine (38). Archived from the original on 1 April 2009. Retrieved 15 January 2009. Updates on the boats of the Virginia-class
  • Little, Molly (Summer 2008). . Undersea Warfare (38). Archived from the original on 1 April 2009. Retrieved 15 January 2009. Q&A on the Virginia-class program since the Winter 2007 article
  • Parker, John (2007). The World Encyclopedia of Submarines. London: Lorenz. ISBN 978-0-7548-1707-9. OCLC 75713655.
  • Polmar, Norman (2001). The Naval Institute Guide to the Ships and Aircraft of the U.S. Fleet. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 978-1-55750-656-6. OCLC 47105698.
  • The Virginia Class Submarine Program (Report). Fort Belvoir, Virginia: Defense Standardization Program Office. 2007. OCLC 427536804.

External links

 
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Virginia class submarines.
  • Naval History & Heritage Command
  • VIRGINIA CLASS ATTACK SUBMARINE - SSN
  • Virginia Class Submarines Some U.S. Navy Photos of Virginia-class submarines
  • Submarine Industrial Base Resources Information about the Submarine Industrial Base

January 20, 2023
virginia, class, submarine, virginia, class, also, known, class, class, nuclear, powered, cruise, missile, fast, attack, submarines, service, united, states, navy, designed, general, dynamics, electric, boat, huntington, ingalls, industries, virginia, class, u. The Virginia class also known as the SSN 774 class is a class of nuclear powered cruise missile fast attack submarines in service in the United States Navy Designed by General Dynamics Electric Boat EB and Huntington Ingalls Industries the Virginia class is the United States Navy s latest submarine model which incorporates the latest in stealth intelligence gathering and weapons systems technology 10 11 Virginia class SSN profileUSS Virginia underway in July 2004Class overviewBuildersGeneral Dynamics Electric Boat Huntington Ingalls Industries Newport News ShipbuildingOperators United States NavyPreceded bySeawolf classSucceeded bySSN X class 3 Cost 2 8 billion per unit 2019 1 3 45 billion per unit w VPM 2021 2 Built2000 presentIn commission2004 presentPlanned66 2 On order2Building6Completed22Active21General characteristicsTypeNuclear attack submarineDisplacementSubmerged Block I IV 7 900 t 8 700 short tons Block V 10 200 t 11 200 short tons 4 Length377 ft 115 m 460 ft 140 m for Block V 4 Beam34 ft 10 m Propulsion1 S9G nuclear reactor 5 280 000 hp 210 MW 2 steam turbines 40 000 shp 30 MW 1 single shaft pump jet propulsor 5 1 secondary propulsion motor 5 Speed25 knots 46 km h 29 mph or over 9 unreliable source RangeUnlimitedEnduranceOnly limited by food and maintenance requirements Test depthOver 800 ft 240 m 6 Complement135 15 officers 120 enlisted ArmamentBlock I IV 12 VLS tubes for BGM 109 Tomahawk missiles 4 21 torpedo tubes for Mk 48 torpedos or UGM 84 Harpoon missiles 25 torpedoes amp missiles torpedo room 12 missiles in the VLS tubes 7 Block V VPM module 28 Tomahawk BGM 109 12 VLS tubes 1 Tomahawk BGM 109 each 4 21 torpedo tubes for Mk 48 torpedoes or UGM 84 Harpoon missiles 65 torpedoes amp missiles total 8 Virginia class submarines are designed for a broad spectrum of open ocean and littoral missions including anti submarine warfare and intelligence gathering operations They are scheduled to replace older Los Angeles class submarines many of which have already been decommissioned Virginia class submarines will be acquired through 2043 and are expected to remain in service until at least 2060 with later submarines expected to remain into the 2070s 12 13 Contents 1 History 2 Innovations 2 1 Technology barriers 2 2 Unified Modular Masts 2 3 Photonics masts 2 4 Propulsor 2 5 Improved sonar systems 2 6 Rescue equipment 2 7 Virginia Payload Module 2 8 High energy laser weapon 2 9 Other improved equipment 3 Specifications 4 Blocks 4 1 Block I 4 2 Block II 4 3 Block III 4 4 Block IV 4 5 Block V 5 Boats in class 5 1 Future acquisitions 6 SSN X Improved Virginia 7 Potential exports 8 See also 9 References 10 Further reading 11 External linksHistory Edit Rendering of a Virginia class attack submarine The class was developed under the codename Centurion later renamed New SSN NSSN 14 15 The Centurion Study was initiated in February 1991 16 The Virginia class submarine was the first US Navy warship with its development coordinated using such 3D visualization technology as CATIA which comprises computer aided engineering CAE design CAD manufacturing CAM and product lifecycle management PLM Design problems for Electric Boat and maintenance problems for the Navy ensued nonetheless 17 18 19 By 2007 approximately 35 million labor hours had been spent to design the Virginia class 20 Constructing a single Virginia class submarine has required around nine million labor hours 19 21 22 and over 4 000 suppliers 23 Each submarine is projected to make 14 15 deployments during its 33 year service life 24 The Virginia class was intended in part as a less expensive alternative to the Seawolf class submarine 1 8 billion vs 2 8 billion whose production run was canceled after just three boats had been completed To reduce costs the Virginia class submarines use many commercial off the shelf COTS components especially in their computers and data networks Improvements in shipbuilding technology have trimmed production costs below the 1 8 billion projected fiscal year 2009 dollars 25 In hearings before both House of Representatives and Senate committees the Congressional Research Service CRS and expert witnesses testified that the annual procurement rate of only one Virginia class boat rising to two in 2012 would result in excessive unit production costs yet an insufficient complement of attack submarines 26 In a 10 March 2005 statement to the House Armed Services Committee Ronald O Rourke of the CRS testified that assuming that the production rate remains as planned production economies of scale for submarines would continue to remain limited or poor 27 In 2001 Newport News Shipbuilding and the General Dynamics Electric Boat Company built a quarter scale version of a Virginia class submarine dubbed Large Scale Vehicle II LSV II Cutthroat The vehicle was designed as an affordable test platform for new technologies 28 29 The Virginia class is built through an industrial arrangement designed to maintain both GD Electric Boat and Newport News Shipbuilding the only two U S shipyards capable of building nuclear powered submarines 30 Under the present arrangement the Newport News facility builds the stern habitability machinery spaces torpedo room sail and bow while Electric Boat builds the engine room and control room The facilities alternate work on the reactor plant as well as the final assembly test outfit and delivery O Rourke wrote in 2004 that Compared to a one yard strategy approaches involving two yards may be more expensive but offer potential offsetting benefits 31 Among the claims of offsetting benefits that O Rourke attributes to supporters of a two facility construction arrangement is that it would permit the United States to continue building submarines at one yard even if the other yard is rendered incapable of building submarines permanently or for a sustained period of time by a catastrophic event of some kind including an enemy attack In order to get the submarine s price down to 2 billion per submarine in FY 05 dollars the Navy instituted a cost reduction program to shave off approximately 400 million of each submarine s price tag The project was dubbed 2 for 4 in 12 referring to the Navy s desire to buy two boats for 4 billion in FY 12 Under pressure from Congress the Navy opted to start buying two boats per year in FY 11 meaning that officials would not be able to get the 2 billion price tag before the service started buying two submarines per year However program manager Dave Johnson said at a conference on 19 March 2008 that the program was only 30 million away from achieving the 2 billion price goal and would reach that target on schedule 32 The Virginia class Program Office received the David Packard Excellence in Acquisition Award in 1996 1998 2008 for excelling in four specific award criteria reducing life cycle costs making the acquisition system more efficient responsive and timely integrating defense with the commercial base and practices and promoting continuous improvement of the acquisition process 33 In December 2008 the Navy signed a 14 billion contract with General Dynamics and Northrop Grumman to supply eight submarines The contract required the delivery of one submarine in each of fiscal 2009 and 2010 and two submarines on each of fiscal 2011 2012 and 2013 34 This contract was designed to bring the Navy s Virginia class fleet to 18 submarines In December 2010 the United States Congress passed a defense authorization bill that expanded production to two subs per year 35 Two submarine per year production resumed on 2 September 2011 with commencement of Washington SSN 787 construction 36 On 21 June 2008 the Navy christened USS New Hampshire the first Block II submarine This boat was delivered eight months ahead of schedule and 54 million under budget Block II boats are built in four sections compared to the ten sections of the Block I boats This enables a cost saving of about 300 million per boat reducing the overall cost to 2 billion per boat and the construction of two new boats per year Beginning in 2010 new submarines of this class were to have included a software system that can monitor and reduce their electromagnetic signatures when needed 37 The first full duration six month deployment was successfully carried out from 15 October 2009 to 13 April 2010 38 Authorization of full rate production and the declaration of full operational capability was achieved five months later 39 In September 2010 it was found that urethane tiles applied to the hull to damp internal sound and absorb rather than reflect sonar pulses were falling off while the subs were at sea 40 Admiral Kevin McCoy announced that the problems with the Mold in Place Special Hull Treatment for the early subs had been fixed in 2011 then Minnesota was built and found to have the same problem 41 In 2013 just as two per year sub construction was supposed to commence Congress failed to resolve the United States fiscal cliff forcing the Navy to attempt to de obligate construction funds 42 In April 2019 the Congressional Research Service CRS reported that the Navy estimated the cost of a boat was 2 8 billion 1 In September 2021 the CRS reported that the Navy estimates at the present production rate of two boats per a year that the cost per a boat when equipped with the additional Virginia Payload Module VPM mid body section was 3 45 billion 2 Innovations Edit USS North Carolina the last Block I boat at her commissioning ceremony Her advanced masts are visible in this image The Virginia class incorporates several innovations not found in previous US submarine classes 25 Technology barriers Edit Because of the low rate of Virginia production the Navy entered into a program with DARPA to overcome technology barriers to lower the cost of attack submarines so that more could be built to maintain the size of the fleet 43 These include 44 Propulsion concepts not constrained by a centerline shaft Externally stowed and launched weapons especially torpedoes Conformal alternatives to the existing spherical sonar array Technologies that eliminate or substantially simplify existing submarine hull mechanical and electrical systems Automation to reduce crew workload for standard tasksUnified Modular Masts Edit Virginia class subs are the first class where all masts share common design the Universal Modular Mast UMM designed by L3 KEO 45 previously Kollmorgen 46 47 Shared components have been maximized and some design choices are also shared between different masts The first UMM was installed on USS Memphis a Los Angeles class submarine 48 The UMM is an integrated system for housing erecting and supporting submarine mast mounted antennas and sensors 49 The UMMs are the following Snorkel mast 50 Two photonic masts 50 Two communication masts 50 One or two high data rate satellite communication SATCOM masts 51 built by Raytheon 52 enabling communication at Super High Frequency for downlink and Extremely High Frequency for uplink range 50 52 53 Radar mast carrying AN BPS 16 surface search and navigation radar 50 54 Electronic warfare mast AN BLQ 10 Electronic Support Measures used to detect analyze and identify both radar and communication signals from ships aircraft submarines and land based transmitters 50 55 56 57 Photonics masts Edit The Virginia class is the first to utilize photonic sensors instead of a traditional periscope The class is equipped with high resolution cameras along with light intensification and infrared sensors an infrared laser rangefinder and an integrated Electronic Support Measures ESM array Two redundant sets of these sensors are mounted on two AN BVS 1 photonics masts 25 located outside the pressure hull Signals from the masts sensors are transmitted through optical fiber data lines through signal processors to the control center 58 Visual feeds from the masts are displayed on liquid crystal display interfaces in the command center 18 The design of earlier optical periscopes required them to penetrate the pressure hull reducing the structural integrity of the pressure hull as well as increasing the risk of flooding and also required the submarine s control room to be located directly below the sail fin 59 Implementation of photonics masts which do not penetrate the pressure hull enabled the submarine control room to be relocated to a position inside the pressure hull which is not necessarily directly below the sail 50 The current photonics masts have a visual appearance so different from ordinary periscopes that when the submarine is detected it can be distinctly identified as a Virginia class vessel As a result current photonic masts will be replaced with Low Profile Photonics Masts LPPM which resemble traditional submarine periscopes more closely 50 In the future a non rotational Affordable Modular Panoramic Photonics Mast may be fitted enabling the submarine to obtain a simultaneous 360 view of the sea surface 60 61 Propulsor Edit In contrast to a traditional bladed propeller the Virginia class uses pump jet propulsors by BAE Systems 62 originally developed for the Royal Navy s Swiftsure class submarines 63 The propulsor significantly reduces the risks of cavitation and allows quieter operation Improved sonar systems Edit Sonar arrays aboard Virginia class submarines have an Open System Architecture OSA which enables rapid insertion of new hardware and software as they become available Hardware upgrades dubbed Technology Insertions are usually carried out every four years while software updates dubbed Advanced Processor Builds are carried out every two years Virginia class submarines feature several types of sonar arrays 64 BQQ 10 bow mounted spherical active passive sonar array 64 65 Large Aperture Bow LAB sonar array from SSN 784 onward A wide aperture lightweight fiber optic sonar array consisting of three flat panels mounted low along either side of the hull 66 Two high frequency active sonars mounted in the sail and bow The chin mounted below the bow and sail mounted high frequency sonars supplement the spherical LAB main sonar array enabling safer operations in coastal waters enhancing under ice navigation and improving anti submarine warfare performance 67 68 Low Cost Conformal Array LCCA high frequency sonar mounted on both sides of the submarine s sail Provides coverage above and behind the submarine 69 Virginia class submarines are also equipped with a low frequency towed sonar array and a high frequency towed sonar array 70 TB 16 or TB 34 fat line tactical towed sonar array 71 72 TB 29 or TB 33 thin line long range search towed sonar array 71 72 Rescue equipment Edit Submarine Escape Immersion Equipment MK11 suit s enable ascent from a sunken submarine maximum ascent depth 600 feet 180 m 64 73 Lithium hydroxide canisters that remove carbon dioxide from the submarine s atmosphere 64 Submarine Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon SEPIRB 74 75 Virginia Payload Module Edit USS John Warner at her commissioning ceremony on 1 August 2015 with forward Virginia Payload Tube hatch open The Block III submarines have two multipurpose Virginia Payload Tubes VPT replacing the dozen single purpose cruise missile launch tubes 76 The Block V submarines built from 2019 onward will have an additional Virginia Payload Module VPM mid body section increasing their overall length The VPM will add four more VPTs of the same diameter and greater height located on the centerline carrying up to seven Tomahawk missiles apiece that would replace some of the capabilities lost when the SSGN conversion Ohio class submarines are retired from the fleet 31 77 Initially eight payload tubes silos were planned 77 but this was later rejected in favor of four tubes installed in a 70 foot 21 m long module between the operations compartment and the propulsion spaces 77 78 79 The VPM could potentially carry non nuclear medium range ballistic missiles Adding the VPM would increase the cost of each submarine by 500 million 2012 prices 80 This additional cost would be offset by reducing the total submarine force by four boats 81 More recent reports state that as a cost reduction measure the VPM would carry only Tomahawk SLCM and possibly unmanned undersea vehicles UUV with the new price tag now estimated at 360 380 million per boat in 2010 prices The VPM launch tubes silos will reportedly be similar in design to the ones planned for the Ohio class replacement 82 83 In July 2016 General Dynamics was awarded 19 million for VPM development 84 In February 2017 General Dynamics was awarded 126 million for long lead time construction of Block V submarines equipped with VPM 85 The VPM was designed by BWX Technologies 86 the same company also designs the missile tubes for the Columbia class submarine 87 however manufacture is undertaken by BAE Systems 88 High energy laser weapon Edit According to open source budget documents Virginia class submarines are planned to be equipped with a high energy laser weapon likely to be incorporated into the photonics mast and have a power output of 300 500 kilowatts based on the submarine s 210 megawatts reactor capacity 89 90 Other improved equipment Edit Virginia class diesel generator control panel Optical fiber fly by wire Ship Control System replaces electro hydraulic systems for control surface actuation Command and control system module CCSM built by Lockheed Martin 9 91 The auxiliary generator is powered by a Caterpillar model 3512B V 12 marine diesel engine This replaced the Fairbanks Morse diesel engine which would not fit in Virginia s auxiliary machinery room Modernized version of the AN BSY 1 integrated combat system 15 designated AN BYG 1 previously designated CCS Mk2 and built by General Dynamics AIS previously Raytheon 92 93 AN BYG 1 integrates the submarine Tactical Control System TCS and Weapon Control System WCS 94 95 USS California was the first Virginia class submarine with the advanced electromagnetic signature reduction system built into it but this system is being retrofitted into the other submarines of the class 96 Integral 9 man lock out diving chamber 97 Specifications Edit Lead boat Virginia under construction Builders General Dynamics Electric Boat and HII Newport News Shipbuilding Length 377 ft 114 91 m Block V 460 ft 140 2 m Beam 34 ft 10 36 m Displacement 7 800 long tons 7 900 t Block V 10 200 long tons 10 400 t Payload 40 weapons special operations forces unmanned undersea vehicles Advanced SEAL Delivery System ASDS Block V 40 Tomahawk cruise missiles Propulsion S9G nuclear reactor delivering 40 000 shaft horsepower 30 MW 98 Nuclear core life estimated at 33 years 99 Nuclear fuel manufactured by BWX Technologies 100 101 Test depth greater than 800 ft 240 m allegedly around 1 600 feet 490 m 97 Speed Greater than 25 knots 46 km h 29 mph 102 allegedly up to 35 knots 65 km h 40 mph 103 104 105 Planned cost about US 1 65 billion each based on FY95 dollars 30 boat class and two boat year build rate Actual cost US 1 5 billion in 1994 prices US 2 6 billion in 2012 prices 106 107 Annual operating cost 50 million per unit in 2012 prices 108 Crew 120 enlisted and 14 officers Armament 12 VLS amp four torpedo tubes capable of launching Mark 48 torpedoes UGM 109 Tactical Tomahawks Harpoon missiles 109 and the new advanced mobile mine when it becomes available 110 Block V boats will have the additional VPM module which contains four large diameter tubes which can accommodate seven Tomahawk cruise missiles each This would increase the total number of torpedo sized weapons such as Tomahawks carried by the Virginia class design from about 37 to about 65 an increase of about 76 111 Decoys Acoustic Device Countermeasure Mk 3 4 112 Blocks EditBlock I Edit USS Texas the second Block I boat at her christening ceremony Block I involved 4 boats and modular construction techniques were incorporated during construction 113 Earlier submarines e g Los Angeles class SSNs were built by assembling the pressure hull and then installing the equipment via cavities in the pressure hull This required extensive construction activities within the narrow confines of the pressure hull which was time consuming and dangerous Modular construction was implemented in an effort to overcome these problems and make the construction process more efficient Modular construction techniques incorporated during construction include constructing large segments of equipment outside the hull These segments dubbed rafts are then inserted into a hull section a large segment of the pressure hull The integrated raft and hull section form a module which when joined with other modules forms a Virginia class submarine 114 Block I boats were built in 10 modules with each submarine requiring roughly 7 years 84 months to build 115 Block II Edit USS New Hampshire the first of the Block II boats Block II involved 6 boats they were built in four sections rather than ten sections saving about 300 million per boat Block II boats excluding SSN 778 were also built under a multi year procurement agreement as opposed to a block buy contract in Block I enabling savings in the range of 400 million 80 million per boat 31 24 As a result of improvements in the construction process New Hampshire was US 500 million cheaper required 3 7 million fewer labor hours to build 25 less thus shortening the construction period by 15 months 20 less compared to Virginia 114 Block III Edit USS North Dakota the first of the VPT equipped Block III Virginia class submarines SSN 784 through SSN 791 8 boats make up the Third Block or Flight and began construction in 2009 Block III subs feature a revised bow with a Large Aperture Bow LAB sonar array as well as technology from Ohio class SSGNs 2 VLS tubes each containing 6 missiles 116 The horseshoe shaped LAB sonar array replaces the spherical main sonar array which has been used on all U S Navy SSNs since 1960 24 117 118 The LAB sonar array is water backed as opposed to earlier sonar arrays which were air backed and consists of a passive array and a medium frequency active array 119 Compared to earlier Virginia class submarines about 40 of the bow has been redesigned clarification needed 120 South Dakota SSN 790 will be equipped with a new propulsor 121 possibly the Hybrid Multi Material Rotor HMMR 122 123 developed by Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency DARPA 121 The Hybrid Multi Material Rotor program is an attempt to improve the design and manufacturing process of submarine propellers with an aim of reducing the cost and weight of the propeller rotor as well as improving overall acoustic performance 121 122 123 Block IV Edit USS Vermont is the first Block IV Virginia class submarine Block IV involved 10 boats In 2013 execution of this 10 submarine contract was put in doubt by budget sequestration in 2013 124 The most costly shipbuilding contract in history was awarded on 28 April 2014 as prime contractor General Dynamics Electric Boat took on a 17 6 billion contract for ten Block IV Virginia class attack submarines The main improvement over the Block III is the reduction of major maintenance periods from four to three increasing each boat s total lifetime deployments by one 125 The long lead time materials contract for SSN 792 was awarded on 17 April 2012 with SSN 793 and SSN 794 following on 28 December 2012 126 127 The U S Navy has awarded General Dynamics Electric Boat a 208 6 million contract modification for the second fiscal year FY 14 Virginia class submarine SSN 793 and two FY 15 submarines SSN 794 and SSN 795 With this modification the overall contract is worth 595 million 128 Block IV consists of 10 submarines 129 Block V Edit Block V involves 10 boats and may incorporate the Virginia Payload Module VPM which would give guided missile capability when the SSGNs are retired from service 130 The Virginia Payload Module will be included on Block V submarines starting with the second boat SSN 803 131 The Block V boats with VPM are expected to triple the capacity of shore targets for each boat 13 Construction on the first two boats of this block was expected to begin in 2019 but was pushed back to 2020 with contracts for long lead time material for SSN 802 and SSN 803 being awarded to General Dynamic s Electric Boat 132 133 HII Newport News Shipbuilding was awarded a long lead materials contract for two Block V boats in 2017 the first Block Vs for the company 134 On 2 December 2019 the Navy announced an order for nine new Virginia class submarines eight Block Vs and one Block IV for a total contract price of 22 billion with an option for a tenth boat 135 The Block V subs were confirmed to have an increased length from 377 ft 115 m to 460 ft 140 m and displacement from 7 800 tons to 10 200 tons This would make the Block V the second largest US submarine behind only the Ohio class at 560 ft 170 m 4 On 22 March 2021 the U S Navy added a 10th ship in Block V series of the Virginia class attack submarine issuing a 2 4 billion adjustment on the December 2019 contract This brings the total cost of the contract with prime contractor General Dynamics Electric Boat to 24 1 billion The net increase for the contract is 1 89 billion according to a General Dynamics release Huntington Ingalls Industries Newport News shipyard is the partner yard in the program 136 Boats in class EditName Hull number Block Builder Ordered Laid down Launched Commissioned StatusVirginia SSN 774 I General Dynamics Electric Boat Groton CT 30 September 1998 2 September 1999 16 August 2003 23 October 2004 In service 137 Texas SSN 775 I Newport News Shipbuilding Newport News VA 12 July 2002 9 April 2005 9 September 2006 In service 138 Hawaii SSN 776 I General Dynamics Electric Boat Groton CT 27 August 2004 17 June 2006 5 May 2007 In service 139 North Carolina SSN 777 I Newport News Shipbuilding Newport News VA 22 May 2004 5 May 2007 3 May 2008 In service 140 New Hampshire SSN 778 II General Dynamics Electric Boat Groton CT 14 August 2003 30 April 2007 21 February 2008 25 October 2008 141 In serviceNew Mexico SSN 779 II Newport News Shipbuilding Newport News VA 12 April 2008 18 January 2009 27 March 2010 142 In serviceMissouri SSN 780 II General Dynamics Electric Boat Groton CT 27 September 2008 20 November 2009 31 July 2010 143 144 In serviceCalifornia SSN 781 II Huntington Ingalls Industries Newport News VA 1 May 2009 14 November 2010 29 October 2011 145 In serviceMississippi SSN 782 II General Dynamics Electric Boat Groton CT 9 June 2010 10 December 2011 2 June 2012 146 In serviceMinnesota SSN 783 II Huntington Ingalls Industries Newport News VA 20 May 2011 10 November 2012 7 September 2013 147 148 In serviceNorth Dakota SSN 784 III General Dynamics Electric Boat Groton CT 14 August 2003 11 May 2012 149 15 September 2013 149 25 October 2014 149 In service 149 John Warner SSN 785 III Huntington Ingalls Industries Newport News VA 22 December 2008 16 March 2013 150 10 September 2014 150 1 August 2015 150 In service 150 Illinois SSN 786 III General Dynamics Electric Boat Groton CT 2 June 2014 151 8 August 2015 151 29 October 2016 152 In service 152 Washington SSN 787 III Huntington Ingalls Industries Newport News VA 22 November 2014 153 25 March 2016 153 7 October 2017 154 In serviceColorado SSN 788 III General Dynamics Electric Boat Groton CT 7 March 2015 155 29 December 2016 17 March 2018 156 In serviceIndiana SSN 789 III Huntington Ingalls Industries Newport News VA 16 May 2015 157 9 June 2017 29 September 2018 158 In serviceSouth Dakota SSN 790 III General Dynamics Electric Boat Groton CT 4 April 2016 159 14 October 2017 2 February 2019 160 In serviceDelaware SSN 791 III Huntington Ingalls Industries Newport News VA 30 April 2016 161 17 December 2018 4 April 2020 162 In serviceVermont SSN 792 IV General Dynamics Electric Boat Groton CT 28 April 2014 c February 2017 29 March 2019 18 April 2020 163 In service 164 165 166 Oregon SSN 793 IV 8 July 2017 167 25 June 2020 28 May 2022 168 In service 164 Montana SSN 794 IV Huntington Ingalls Industries Newport News VA 16 May 2018 169 8 February 2021 25 June 2022 170 In service 171 Hyman G Rickover SSN 795 IV General Dynamics Electric Boat Groton CT 11 May 2018 26 August 2021 Launched 172 173 New Jersey SSN 796 IV Huntington Ingalls Industries Newport News VA 25 March 2019 14 April 2022 Launched 174 175 Iowa SSN 797 IV General Dynamics Electric Boat Groton CT 20 August 2019 Under construction 176 Massachusetts SSN 798 IV Huntington Ingalls Industries Newport News VA 11 Dec 2020 177 Under construction 178 Idaho SSN 799 IV General Dynamics Electric Boat Groton CT 24 August 2020 Under construction 179 Arkansas SSN 800 IV Huntington Ingalls Industries Newport News VA 19 November 2022 Under construction 180 Utah SSN 801 IV General Dynamics Electric Boat Groton CT 1 September 2021 Under construction 181 Oklahoma SSN 802 V Huntington Ingalls Industries Newport News VA 2 December 2017 Under construction 182 Arizona SSN 803 V General Dynamics Electric Boat Groton CT 7 December 2022 Under construction 183 Barb SSN 804 V Huntington Ingalls Industries Newport News VA 2 December 2019 Under construction 184 Tang SSN 805 V General Dynamics Electric Boat Groton CT Under construction 185 Wahoo SSN 806 V Huntington Ingalls Industries Newport News VA Under construction 185 Silversides SSN 807 V Under Construction 186 Unnamed SSN 808 VUnnamed SSN 809 VUnnamed SSN 810 VUnnamed SSN 811 VName Hull number Block Builder Ordered Laid down Launched Commissioned StatusFuture acquisitions Edit The Navy plans to acquire at least 34 Virginia class submarines 187 188 however more recent data provided by the Naval Submarine League in 2011 and the Congressional Budget Office in 2012 seems to imply that more than 30 submarines may eventually be built The Naval Submarine League believes that up to 10 Block V boats will be built 22 189 The same source also states that 10 additional submarines could be built after Block V submarines with 5 in the so called Block VI and 5 in Block VII largely due to the delays experienced with the Improved Virginia These 20 submarines 10 Block V 5 Block VI 5 Block VII would carry VPM bringing the total number of Virginia class submarines to 48 including the 28 submarines in Blocks I II III and IV The CBO in its 2012 report states that 33 Virginia class submarines will be procured in the 2013 2032 timeframe 7 resulting in 49 submarines in total since 16 were already procured by the end of 2012 190 Such a long production run seems unlikely but another naval program the Arleigh Burke class destroyer is still ongoing even though the first vessel was procured in 1985 191 192 However other sources believe that production will end with Block V 193 In addition data provided in CBO reports tends to vary considerably compared to earlier editions 7 Block VI submarines include an organic ability to employ seabed warfare equipment 194 SSN X Improved Virginia EditInitially dubbed Future Attack Submarine 195 and Improved Virginia class in Congressional Budget Office CBO reports 7 the SSN X or Improved Virginia class submarines will be an evolved version of the Virginia class 7 In late 2014 the US Navy began early preparation work on the SSN X It was planned that the first submarine would be procured in 2025 However their introduction i e procurement of the first submarine has been pushed back to 2033 2034 7 196 The long range shipbuilding plan is for the new SSN to be authorized in 2034 and become operational by 2044 after the last Block VII Virginia is built Roughly a decade will be spent identifying designing and demonstrating new technologies before an analysis of alternatives is issued in 2024 An initial small team has been formed to consult with industry and identify the threat environment and technologies the submarine will need to operate against in the 2050 plus timeframe One area already identified is the need to integrate with off board systems so future Virginia boats and the SSN X can employ networked extremely long ranged weapons A torpedo propulsion system concept from the Pennsylvania State University could allow a torpedo to hit a target 200 nmi 230 mi 370 km away and be guided by another asset during the terminal phase Targeting information might also come from another platform like a patrol aircraft or an unmanned aerial vehicle UAV launched from the submarine 197 Researchers have identified a quieter advanced propulsion system and the ability to control multiple unmanned underwater vehicles UUVs at once as key SSN X components The future submarines will operate through the end of the 21st century and potentially into the 22nd century 198 New propulsion technology moving beyond the use of a rotating mechanical device to push the boat through the water could come in the form a biomimetic propulsion system that would eliminate noise generating moving parts like the drive shaft and the spinning blades of the propulsor 199 In 2019 the Congressional Budget Office estimated that the SSN X boats could cost up to 5 5 billion per hull The current Virginia class boats cost about 2 8 billion per hull while the Block V boats with the 80 foot Virginia Payload Module will cost about 3 2 billion The Navy indicates that the next generation attack submarine should be faster stealthier and able to carry more torpedoes than the Virginia class similar to the Seawolf class submarine CBO therefore assumed that the SSN X would be a Seawolf sized SSN which displaces about 9 100 tons when submerged and would have an all new design in keeping with the Navy s description of it as a fast lethal next generation attack submarine the CBO wrote 200 Potential exports EditOn 16 September 2021 Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced that Australia had canceled its contract with French shipbuilder Naval Group for 12 Attack class diesel electric submarines based on the French Barracuda class nuclear submarine 201 The AUKUS trilateral security pact between Australia the United Kingdom UK and the United States was announced the same day 202 Under the pact the US will share nuclear propulsion technology with Australia the same as it has with the UK since 1958 as will the UK 203 204 The Royal Australian Navy will now acquire at least eight nuclear powered submarines armed with conventional weapons to be built in Australia by the Australian Submarine Corporation ASC 201 The basic design and key technologies will be decided by an 18 month research project begun in September 2021 with assistance from the US and UK 201 It has been reported that Australia may select the Virginia design or use its nuclear propulsion technology in a new design 205 Australia will now extend the life of its diesel electric Collins class submarines that use the Virginia s AN BYG 1 Tactical and Weapons Control System and that the Attack class was due to replace 201 206 Australia may consider leasing nuclear powered submarines from the US in the interim until the delivery of its future nuclear powered submarines 201 207 208 In 2011 Professor Ross Babbage of the Australian National University argued that Australia should acquire a fleet of twelve nuclear powered submarines with Foreign Policy writing that the US should sell or lease Virginia class submarines to Australia 209 On 22 November 2021 Australia UK and the U S signed a trilateral agreement to share classified information about nuclear propulsion with Australia s Department of Defence 210 See also EditList of submarine classes of the United States Navy List of submarines of the United States Navy List of submarine classes in service Submarines in the United States Navy Cruise missile submarine List of current United States Navy shipsReferences Edit a b O Rourke Ronald 16 April 2019 Navy Virginia SSN 774 Class Attack Submarine Procurement Background and Issues for Congres Report CRS Report for Congress RL32418 Congressional Research Service Retrieved 11 October 2021 a b c O Rourke Ronald 29 September 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to Carry a Lot of Torpedoes Says Admiral USNI News U S Naval Institute Retrieved 24 November 2021 a b c d e Prime Minister Minister for Defence Minister for Foreign Affairs Minister for Women 16 September 2021 Australia to pursue Nuclear powered Submarines through new Trilateral Enhanced Security Partnership Prime Minister of Australia Press release Archived from the original on 27 September 2021 Retrieved 25 September 2021 Prime Minister of Australia Scott Morrison Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Boris Johnson President of the United States of America Joseph R Biden 16 September 2021 Joint Leaders Statement on AUKUS Prime Minister of Australia Press release Archived from the original on 27 September 2021 Retrieved 25 September 2021 Morrison Prime Minister Scott 16 September 2021 Interview with Jane Marwick 6PR 6PR Interview Interviewed by Jane Marwick Perth Perth Western Australia Archived from the original on 27 September 2021 Retrieved 27 September 2021 Ritchie Dr Nick February 2015 The UK Naval Nuclear Propulsion Programme and Highly Enriched Uranium PDF Report University of York UK Retrieved 27 September 2021 Greg Jennett 16 September 2021 Australia to acquire nuclear subs in historic AUKUS deal ABC News Television production Australian Broadcasting Corporation Continuing Our Undersea Partnership with Royal Australian Navy Undersea Warfare public navy mil Spring 2011 44 ISSN 1554 0146 Archived from the original on 21 December 2016 Retrieved 14 December 2016 Remeikis Amy 19 September 2021 Australia could initially lease submarines from UK or US but nuclear weapons remain off limits The Guardian Retrieved 27 September 2021 Australia to consider leasing or buying existing submarines from the US UK Sky News Australia 19 September 2021 Retrieved 27 September 2021 Mahnken Tom 9 February 2011 Growing concern down under Foreign Policy Archived from the original on 31 October 2012 Retrieved 23 November 2012 Australia UK and USA Formally Sign Agreement On Nuclear Submarine Global Defense Corp 23 November 2021 Retrieved 23 November 2021 Further reading EditClancy Tom 2002 Submarine A Guided Tour Inside A Nuclear Warship New York Berkley Books ISBN 978 0 425 18300 7 OCLC 48749330 Christley J L 2000 United States Naval Submarine Force Information Book Marblehead Massachusetts Graphic Enterprises of Marblehead OCLC 53364278 Christley Jim 2007 US Nuclear Submarines The Fast Attack Oxford UK ISBN 978 1 84603 168 7 OCLC 141383046 Cross Wilbur Feise George W 2003 Encyclopedia of American Submarines New York Facts on File ISBN 978 0 8160 4460 3 OCLC 48131805 Gresham John Westwell Ian 2004 Seapower Edison New Jersey Chartwell Books ISBN 978 0 7858 1792 5 OCLC 56578494 Holian Thomas Winter 2007 Voices from Virginia Early Impressions from a First in Class Undersea Warfare 9 2 Archived from the original on 31 January 2016 Retrieved 5 June 2015 Johnson Dave CAPT Muniz Dustin LTJG Winter 2007 More for Less The Navy s Plan to Reduce Costs on Virginia class Submarines While Increasing Production Undersea Warfare 9 2 Archived from the original on 31 January 2016 Retrieved 5 June 2015 Little Molly Summer 2008 The Elements of Virginia Undersea Warfare Magazine 38 Archived from the original on 1 April 2009 Retrieved 15 January 2009 Updates on the boats of the Virginia class Little Molly Summer 2008 A Snapshot of the Virginia class With Rear Adm sel Dave Johnson Undersea Warfare 38 Archived from the original on 1 April 2009 Retrieved 15 January 2009 Q amp A on the Virginia class program since the Winter 2007 article Parker John 2007 The World Encyclopedia of Submarines London Lorenz ISBN 978 0 7548 1707 9 OCLC 75713655 Polmar Norman 2001 The Naval Institute Guide to the Ships and Aircraft of the U S Fleet Annapolis Maryland Naval Institute Press ISBN 978 1 55750 656 6 OCLC 47105698 The Virginia Class Submarine Program Report Fort Belvoir Virginia Defense Standardization Program Office 2007 OCLC 427536804 External links Edit Wikimedia Commons has media related to Virginia class submarines Naval History amp Heritage Command VIRGINIA CLASS ATTACK SUBMARINE SSN Stealth Endurance and Agility Under the Sea Virginia Class Submarines Some U S Navy Photos of Virginia class submarines Submarine Industrial Base Resources Information about the Submarine Industrial Base Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Virginia class submarine amp oldid 1126317572, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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