General Dynamics Electric Boat (GDEB) – a major industry player in US submarine construction – has announced it will deliver long lead time materials to support the Virginia-class Block VI submarine programme in a contract modification worth more than $1.3bn.
Although the specific items have not been disclosed, GDEB will use the funds to cultivate a healthy and stable naval industrial base, according to the details of the contract laid out by the US Department of Defense on 5 August 2024.
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Work will occur at several locations across the country and it is expected to be completed by September 2035.
The US Navy have deployed the Virginia-class nuclear-powered attack submarine (SSN 774) since fiscal year (FY) 1998: a total of 40 boats have been procured, with 22 already in commission.
It will replace the remaining 25 Los Angeles-class SSNs in service as the class moves toward decommissioning, the first of this ageing class entered service in 1976.
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Eager to keep the Virginia-class relevant, the Navy has iteratively upgraded the fleet. The latest Block V includes ten boats acquired across multiple years between FY2019-23. This iteration – from SSN 803 onward – will be lengthened by 84 feet to fit the Virginia Payload Module (VPM).
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By GlobalDataVPM is a mid-body section equipped with four large-diameter, vertical launch tubes for storing and launching additional Tomahawk missiles or other payloads, including payloads with diameters larger than the 21-inch diameter of a torpedo or Tomahawk missile.
When procured at a rate of two boats per year, VPM-equipped Virginia-class SSNs have an estimated cost of about $4.5bn per boat. However, the current rate of production has only reached 1.2 boats per year.
What will Block VI comprise?
Few details regarding the next-generation Block VI iteration have been confirmed.
Although the Congressional Research Service stipulated that one of the two Virginia-class boats procured in FY2024 is due to be built to a special configuration referred to as the “Modified Virginia Class Subsea and Seabed Warfare” configuration, suggesting there will be a new configuration that includes a capability for conducting seabed warfare missions.
This is made more credible by the fact that the future SSN(X) concept – the first of which is envisaged to be procured from FY2040 – will be based on Virginia Block VI. The Navy has stated that SSN(X) will embody a new level of “undersea supremacy” with full spectrum undersea warfare.
The undersea supremacy of Block VI also comes at a time when the subsea sector is innovating. The proliferation of uncrewed systems in the global defence market will impact the future of naval warfare.
GlobalData analysis indicates that major defence spending countries – which include the US, Australia, China, India, France, and Russia – not only seek to replace their ageing submarine fleet, but they are also looking at equipping their new submarines with state-of-the-art undersea systems: advanced armaments, sensors, electro-optical systems, and electronic and acoustic countermeasure systems.
