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UNITED STATES NAVY (UNITED STATES OF AMERICA)

SUBMARINES

VIRGINIA nuclear powered submarines (2004-)

Virginia 2010

Project history: Originally referred to as the 'Centurion' class until late 1993 when renamed the NAS (New Attack Submarine), renamed New Nuclear-powered attack Submarine (NSSN) by 1995 and announced as the Virginia class 10.9.1998. Under a joint production arrangement General Dynamics Electric Boats and Newport News each build selected parts of each boat. The yards alternate reactor compartment construction and final assembly. General Dynamics built the reactor compartments and performs final assembly on boats with odd numbers, and Newport News assembled boats with even numbers initially, but in future this consequence will be changed.

    The single S9G pressurized water reactor has a core expected to last for the 30-years life of the submarines. The class is reportedly "as quiet at 25kts as an SSN688 at the pier". Although not capable of diving as deep or as fast as the SSN21 class, these boats were designed to be as quiet acoustically as the Seawolf unit, but with greater nonacoustic stealth capabilities. Block I submarines were built in 10 modules. Later boats consist of fewer, larger modules and will be built faster. Block III submarines have the new Large Aperture Bow conformal passive sonar array in place of. Two Virginia payload tubes (MAC - Multiple All-up-round Canisters) will replace the 12 vertical launch tubes. Each payload tube is capable of storing and launching 6 Tomahawk LACM. Block V units will be fitted with Virginia Payload Module system. This VPM system would comprise four large-diameter payload tubes in a revolver-type module inserted amidships, extending the hull by 28.7m and increasing the number of Tomahawks from 12 to 40. Also this proposed module would allow to use UUVs underway.

    SSN780 and later boats have the CAVES (Conformal Acoustic Velocity Sonar) and, from SSN784, LABA (Large Aperture Bow Array) instead  the previous spherical sonar array and LWWAA (Lightweight Wide Aperture Array). All have HF sail- and chin-mounted active sonar arrays. The class is equipped with 9-man lockout chamber and stowage space for SEAL Team Combat Rubber Raiding Craft. The weapons total payload in the initial units is about 86t. The torpedo room is reconfigurable to give 68m³ of stowage space for SEAL equipment and berthing for 40 SEALs. SSN782 and later boats have new reactor compartment and new composition of spaces used for special operations.

Modernizations: planned: - TB-16 towed sonar array; + TB-34 towed sonar array

Naval service: No significant events.

Virginia 2004

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