The US Department of Defense (DoD) awarded a contract to General Dynamics Electric Boat (GDBE) and Huntington Ingalls Industries’ (HII) Newport News Shipbuilding, to support the construction of two more Block V Virginia-class nuclear-powered fast-attack submarines (SSNs). SSNs 812 and 813 were first scheduled for manufacturing in fiscal 2024.
In addition, the contract will also cover investments to improve productivity at the shipyards, and for nuclear-powered vessel programmes workforce support.
If all options are exercised, the DoD will provide more than $12bn to GDBE alone, and if all options are exercised up to $17bn, whereas HII will gain $1.2bn.
What is the Block V Virginia-class?
The US Navy has procured Virginia-class (SSN-774) SSNs since 1998, and a total of 40 have been procured through to 2024.
At present, there are 24 SSNs in active service, while 16 more boats have yet to be delivered.
The next major change in the class is the incorporation of the Virginia Payload Module (VPM), starting with the second Block V ship, USS Arizona (SSN 803), currently under construction.
VPM incorporates four additional large diameter payload tubes in a new hull section located amidships, which makes the modernised hull 84 feet longer than the previous 377-feet iteration. Block V boats also have a beam of 34 feet, and a submerged displacement of about 10,200 tons.
Each VPM payload tube is capable of carrying seven Tomahawk cruise missiles adding 28 missiles per VPM.
However, the Navy is also introducing acoustic and other improvements to the Block V design that are intended to help maintain the design’s superiority over Russian and Chinese submarines.
In theory, with a production rate of two boats per year, each SSN ought to be worth an estimated cost of around $4.5bn each.
In the Navy’s proposed FY2025 budget, the service requests one Virginia-class boat, which would be the 41st boat in the class, anticipating the cost to grow to $5.8bn. However, the Navy say that about $1bn of that is for materials and equipment to meet the future design, making the estimated cost for the requested boat itself roughly $4.8bn.
From Block IV, to V, and VI
As of last month, the US Navy reached the midpoint of Virginia Block IV with the commissioning of USS Iowa (SSN 797).
Meanwhile, nearly all the Block V boats are currently under construction, the US Navy are already investing in Block VI, with the DoD having awarded $1bn to procure long-lead materials at the end of March 2025. The project is expected to reach completion by September 2035.
It is not clear what materials or whether these are future components specific to the Block VI design, although it is doubtful.
What is known, however, is that Block VI will also incorporate the extra firepower that the VPM offers. BAE Systems was awarded a government contract to manufacture the tubes for Block VI in a deal worth $70m at the beginning of April.
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