Construction of Virginia Block V multi-purpose nuclear submarines
Design appearance of the Virginia-class submarine
Since the late nineties, US companies have been building multi-purpose nuclear submarines of the Virginia project. As construction continued, the original project was revised several times, and new versions of the submarines entered production. Not long ago, construction of the first ships of the next modification Block V began. They should enter service in the second half of the current decade and have a positive effect on the strike capabilities of the Navy.
New modification
Let us recall that the lead nuclear submarine of the Virginia project was laid down in September 1999 and commissioned in October 2004. By now, American shipbuilders have managed to manufacture and deliver to the customer another 22 submarines of this type.
The Virginia submarines were built according to different versions of the project, designated as "blocks" with numbers from 1 to 4. The current one is Block IV. From 2020 to the present, the Navy has received five submarines of this series. The sixth is expected to be delivered in the coming months, and within a few years the number of such submarines will be increased to 10.
Back in the early 2010s, the Navy began developing a new version of the Virginia project, designated Block V. This project planned to improve the design and enhance the basic characteristics of the submarine. It was also supposed to improve the weapons system and increase the number of missiles on board.
The emergence of the new Virginia variant was directly related to the Navy's plans for other boats. Thus, in the 154s, four Ohio-class strategic nuclear submarines underwent modernization, during which they lost their Trident missiles. New launchers for XNUMX Tomahawk cruise missiles were placed in the vacated silos. Despite the limited number, the upgraded Ohio significantly affected the non-nuclear strike potential of the Navy's submarine forces.
Laying of USS Oklahoma (SSN-803), August 2023
According to the Pentagon's plans, four Ohio-class submarines with Tomahawk missiles will be decommissioned by the end of the 20s. It was proposed to create an improved version of the Virginia-class submarine with an increased ammunition load to replace them. It is assumed that the abandonment of older submarines and the start of operation of new ones will allow to avoid a significant gap in strike capabilities.
Construction plans
Design work on the Virginia Block V project was completed in mid-2017. Soon, on December 2, the Pentagon signed two contracts at once for the construction of the first submarines of the new modification. Huntington Ingalls Industries Newport News Shipbuilding and General Dynamics Electric Boat were to build the USS Oklahoma (SSN-802) and USS Arizona (SSN-803) submarines, respectively.
Exactly two years later, two more contracts were signed for the next four hulls. Three of them will be built by HII Newport News - these will be the submarines USS Barb (SSN-804), USS Wahoo (SSN-806) and USS Silversides (SSN-807). GDEB has so far been entrusted with building only one boat, USS Tang (SSN-805).
Due to the workload of other orders, as well as the 2020 pandemic and quarantine, preparations for the construction of new submarines were delayed. The first ship of the new series, Arizona, was laid down at the GDEB shipyard only on December 7, 2022. A few months later, on August 2, 2023, the Oklahoma was laid down at the HII Newport News shipyard, and on August 17, construction of the Teng submarine was launched.
At the beginning of the last decade, it became known that the Pentagon was planning to build 12 new-model nuclear submarines. Contracts for six of them have already been signed. Three ships are being built since 2022-23 and will be ready in the second half of the current decade. Preparations are also underway for the construction of the next three, which will be delivered only in the thirties.
Diagram of the hull section with additional launchers
The remaining six submarines are still in the contract preparation stage. They are expected to be ordered in the coming years, but construction will not begin until the turn of the decade. Even without problems and difficulties, the entire series will not be completed until the mid-thirties or later.
Project Objectives
The Pentagon and contractors have already revealed the main features of the Virginia Block V project. Unlike previous versions of the Virginia modernization, it involves not only replacing the equipment, but also significantly rebuilding the entire structure. In general, both the hull and its contents are being reworked.
The new project envisages the installation of various means and systems, which required increasing the hull. An additional section, located in the center of the hull, increases its length from 115 to 140 m. At the same time, the ship's displacement also increases - from 7900 to 10400 tons.
As far as is known, the power plant and general ship systems of the modernized submarine can be improved, but will not undergo any radical changes. Due to this, the main running and technical characteristics will remain at the same level.
The additional hull section accommodates four Virginia Payload Module launchers. The VPM was developed based on the experience gained from upgrading the Ohio-class submarines. It is similar to the Ohio launchers and has similar characteristics. The device, with a diameter of approximately 2,2 m, accommodates seven vertical cells for the Tomahawk missile transport and launch containers. The new launchers thus increase the Virginia submarine's total ammunition load by 28 cruise missiles.
Virginia Block V submarine layout
While receiving a new section with launchers, the submarines retain the standard armament of previous modifications. The forward part of the hull retains a vertical launcher for 12 missiles. There are also four 533 mm torpedo tubes. They are used to fire various types of torpedoes, as well as to launch UGM-84 Harpoon missiles.
Impact potential
The Navy plans to gradually replace other class submarines as they retire, including the Ohio, a multi-mission version of the submarine. The information available provides insight into how the new ships will impact the overall strike capabilities of the submarine force.
First of all, the new Virginia submarines will replace the old Los Angeles-class ships. Submarines of these projects carry 12 Tomahawk cruise missiles. Accordingly, there is an opportunity to equally replace the submarines and maintain the total number of deployed missile weapons. However, this opportunity can only be realized if each decommissioned ship receives a replacement.
The four Ohio-class submarines nearing retirement carry a combined 616 Tomahawk missiles. The 12 new Virginia Block V submarines will each receive 28 additional missiles, for a total of 336. This raises certain risks. The Navy will retire submarines with many missiles long before replacements with fewer weapons are available.
Use of missile weapons
It is already known that the construction of the Virginias will not stop with the Block 5 series. Preliminary work is underway on the next version of this project. Its details are still unknown, but it can be assumed that Block VI will retain the VPM launchers and an increased ammunition load.
The construction of 10-12 such submarines will allow the total combat complement of the submarine forces to return to the previous level. However, the Ohio will be decommissioned in the coming years, and the Virginias of the future 6th series will enter service no earlier than the end of the thirties. This means that the total combat complement of the submarine forces will be reduced for many years, and with it the strike capabilities.
Plans and reality
Thus, the US continues to build multi-purpose submarines of the current Virginia project, and also regularly modernizes them, aimed at improving technical characteristics and combat capabilities. Recently, construction of the first ships of the newest Block V series began, and in a few years they will begin service.
However, building new submarines will not solve all the pressing issues. In the foreseeable future, the US Navy will face the problem of reducing the number of cruise missile carriers and reducing their total ammunition. How this problem will be solved is still unclear, but it is obvious that the Virginia Block V submarines will play a major role in this matter.
Information