US Navy Virginia Class Nuclear Attack Submarines

With the 39 LA class boats still out there (22 of the them ADCAP 688i boats).

With 3 Sea Wolf boats.

And now with 12 (and growing for the next 15 years) Virginia's, the US Navy is maintaining the most powerful, largest number, and most capable SSN fleet in the world.

Well more than all of the rest of the world's nuclear attack boats combined.

54 US nuclear attack boats out there, active and capable of putting major hurt on an enemy and their shipping at almost any time.

First launch and recovery of a drone by a submarine in diving
Premiere in the US Navy, a submarine launched and recovered a drone submarine used in a military operation.

The nuclear submarine USS North Dakota attack Monday returned to its base Groton after spending nearly two months in the Mediterranean to test the drone launch capabilities.



The drone was launched from a module attached to the submarine's deck of the Virginia class. This module can also be used for the deployment of divers and underwater commandos.

For the US Navy, the drones are an economical way to extend the reach of its submarines. The UAV deployed by the North Dakota is of a type already available on the market and which can be modified to carry a wide range of payloads: a Remus 600 (240 kg and 3.25 m long).

Hydroid, the manufacturer of Remus says it can be equipped with video cameras, GPS and sonar.

The Navy declined to say whether the drone was autonomous or remote controlled from the submarine.


Other things futur Virginia Payload Module (VPM ) will be accessible from inside unlike Virginia Payload Tube ( VPT ), especialy for Drones and SF, obviously can be armed with CM ( 7 ).
VPM right now planned for Virginia Bl V first 29th Virginia : 4 VPM ( max 28 CM ) in the center and 2 VPT ( 12 CM )forward. In the torpedo room 25 Torp/CM.

Jeff Head said:

With the 39 LA class boats still out there (22 of the them ADCAP 688i boats).

With 3 Sea Wolf boats.

And now with 12 (and growing for the next 15 years) Virginia's, the US Navy is maintaining the most powerful, largest number, and most capable SSN fleet in the world.

Well more than all of the rest of the world's nuclear attack boats combined.

54 US nuclear attack boats out there, active and capable of putting major hurt on an enemy and their shipping at almost any time.

Click to expand...

Silent service have 60000 submariners ! USN 326000 personnel
How many Navies have 60000 personnel, very few...

In France 3500 pers. for 4 SSBN and 6 SSN.

Interesting that surface ships prefer square or rectangular VLS, whereas subs favour round ones (at least in the USN).

The choice of a round VLS made sense for retrofitting Ohios, but surely a standard square VLS design is more space efficient, and therefore better for a clean slate design?

Or was it just simply an issue of cost, whereby the USN decided to re-use the existing and readily available round VLS off of the Ohios rather than have to invest the money to time to develop a entirely new square VLS?

plawolf said:

Interesting that surface ships prefer square or rectangular VLS, whereas subs favour round ones (at least in the USN).

The choice of a round VLS made sense for retrofitting Ohios, but surely a standard square VLS design is more space efficient, and therefore better for a clean slate design?

Or was it just simply an issue of cost, whereby the USN decided to re-use the existing and readily available round VLS off of the Ohios rather than have to invest the money to time to develop a entirely new square VLS?

Click to expand...

The Virginia class is adopting the round VLS because they can fit 6 and seven missiles into a single round cannister. This makes it more efficient, and more modular. They are taking this technology from the Ohios, improving it, and placing it on the Virginia's now.

Prior to the recent change in the Virginia class, the VLS on the LA Class vessels, and on the early Virginia class vessels were indeed for single tomahawks and has square doors.

Virginia as 688 don' t have diving bars retractable unlike 688i and Sea Wolf, better have it for to surface in the ice.

FORBIN said:

View attachment 16781

Virginia as 688 don' t have diving bars retractable unlike 688i and Sea Wolf, better have it for to surface in the ice.
View attachment 16782

Click to expand...

They are low enough on the hull that they should not pose a problem.

The Sail can poke through without the thickness of the ice becoming a factor. If it is too thick, then short of a life or death emergency, they will find thinner ice.

Please, Log in or Register to view URLs content!

Please, Log in or Register to view URLs content!

USS-Illinois said:

In August the USS Illinois was moved to dry dock in preparation for its launch on October 10,2016, and should be commissioned in the Spring of 29016.

Click to expand...

This will be the 13th Virginia class SSN. The 14th, USS Washington, SSN-787, is expected to be commissioned in the fall of 2016.

Please, Log in or Register to view URLs content!