Page 8 - ADT SEPTEMBER - OCTOBER 2022 Online Magazine

at a rate of two boats per year. When procured
at a rate of two boats per year, Virginia-class
SSNs equipped with the Virginia Payload Module
(VPM) have a current estimated procurement  SUBMARINE
cost of about US$3.6 billion per boat. “The
Navy has been procuring Virginia (SSN-774)
class nuclear-powered attack submarines since
FY1998, and a total of 36 have been procured
through FY2022,” a U.S. Navy official said.

The Navy’s proposed budget requests the pro-
curement of the 37th and 38th Virginia-class
boats. The two boats have an estimated com-
bined procurement cost of US$7,250.6 million (i.e.,
about US$7.3 billion). Most Virginia-class boats
procured in 2019 and subsequent years are to
be built with the VPM, an additional mid-body
section equipped with four large-diameter, ver-
tical launch tubes.

U.S. Navy submarines are built by General class design, and the operational availability and service life of the
Dynamics’ Electric Boat Division (GD/EB) Columbia-class design.
of Groton, CT, and Quonset Point, RI, and These requirements with speed and payload will likely result in an
Huntington Ingalls Industries’ Newport News SSN(X) design that is larger than the original Virginia-class design,
Shipbuilding (HII/NNS), of Newport News, VA. which has a submerged displacement of about 7,800 tons, and pos-

These are the only two shipyards in the coun- sibly larger than the original SSN-21 design, which has a submerged
try capable of building nuclear-powered ships. displacement of 9,138 tons. Due to technological changes over the
GD/EB builds submarines only, while HII/NNS years for improved quieting and other purposes, the designs of U.S.
also builds nuclear-powered aircraft carriers. Navy submarines with similar payloads have generally been growing
in displacement from one generation to the next.
SUBMARINES IN THE U.S. NAVY An April 2021 Congressional Budget Office (CBO) report stated that

in constant FY2021 dollars, the SSN(X)’s average unit procurement
The U.S. Navy operates nuclear-powered ballis- cost was estimated at US$5.8 billion by the Navy and US$6.2 billion
tic missile submarines (SSBNs), nuclear-powered by CBO-figures that were substantially higher than the US$3.6 bil-
cruise missile and special operations forces lion-unit procurement cost of a VPM-equipped Virginia-class SSN.
(SOF) submarines (SSGNs), and nuclear-pow- The report stated that CBO’s estimate assumed that the SSN(X)
ered attack submarines (SSNs). The SSNs are design would be similar in size and capabilities to the SSN-21 design.
general-purpose submarines that can perform
a variety of peacetime and wartime missions.
THE SSNS IN SERVICE
The Navy stated that the SSN(X) will be designed
to counter the growing threat posed by near peer The U.S. Navy has three classes of SSNs in service. Los Angeles-class
adversary competition for undersea supremacy. (SSN 688) submarines are the backbone of the submarine force, with
It will provide greater speed, increased horizontal approximately 40 now in commission. Of these 30 are equipped
payload capacity, improved acoustic superior- with 12 Vertical Launch System (VLS) tubes for firing Tomahawk
ity, and higher operational availability. “SSN(X) cruise missiles. The Navy also has three Seawolf-class submarines.
will conduct full spectrum undersea warfare and Commissioned July 19, 1997, USS Seawolf-class (SSN 21) subma-
be able to coordinate with a larger contingent rines are exceptionally quiet, fast, well-armed, and equipped with
of off-hull vehicles, sensors, and friendly forces. advanced sensors. Though lacking VLS, the Seawolf class has eight
It will retain and improve multimission capabil- torpedo tubes and can hold up to 50 weapons in its torpedo room.
ity and sustained combat presence in denied
waters,” the U.S. Navy official said. The third ship of the class, USS Jimmy Carter (SSN 23), has a 100-
foot hull extension called the multi-mission platform. This hull section
Navy officials have stated that the Navy wants provides for additional payloads to accommodate advanced tech-
the SSN(X) to be an “apex predator.” More spe- nology used to carry out classified research and development and
cifically, they have stated that the Navy wants for enhanced warfighting capabilities. The Navy continues to build
the SSN(X) to incorporate the fast and heavily the next-generation attack submarine, the Virginia (SSN 774) class.
armed Seawolf (SSN-21) class SSN design, the Till date 19 Virginias have been commissioned, and they will replace
acoustic quietness and sensors of the Virginia- Los Angeles Class submarines as they retire. The Virginia class has
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