The US Navy is planning for deployment of its Next Generation Attack Submarine or SSN(X) beginning in 2031.
The US Navy is planning for deployment of its Next Generation Attack Submarine or SSN(X) beginning in 2031, according to a report by the Congressional Research Service (CRS).
The new class of nuclear-powered attack submarine will be the successor of its Virginia-class submarine, which the navy has had in service since 1998.
Navy’s 30-Year Shipbuilding Plan
Under its 30-year shipbuilding plan (2020-2049), the US Navy wants to have a fleet of 66 nuclear-powered attack submarines (SSN) — both Virginia-class and SSN(X) — by 2048.
The navy expects to start receiving its first SSN(X) by 2031. For the following two years, the service expects to purchase one SSN(X) per year along with two Virginia-class subs, the plan explains.
By 2034, the service will cease procuring Virginia-class subs and double the yearly purchase of the SSN(X) until 2048.
New Capabilities
The new submarine will be designed keeping in mind “the emerging threat posed by near-peer adversary competition for undersea supremacy.”
While the SSN(X) will retain the Virginia-class attributes of multi-mission capability and sustained combat presence in “denied waters,” the new focus will be on “anti-submarine warfare missions against sophisticated threats in greater numbers.”
Unlike the Virginia-class, which was designed for “multi-mission dominance in the littoral,” the SSN(X) will be designed for “greater transit speed under increased stealth conditions in all ocean environments, and carry a larger inventory of weapons and diverse payloads.”
The design of the new underwater vessel will be broadly based on either of the three options: “The Virginia-class SSN design, a design based on the Columbia-class nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine design, or a brand new design.”
Procurement Cost
The navy has pegged the estimated cost of the new submarine at $5.8 billion per unit in “constant FY2021 dollars.” The Congressional Budget Office (CBO), however, estimates that a single submarine will cost $6.2 billion.
Congress approved $1 million this year for initial research and development funding for the project. Starting in 2022, Congress has to decide whether to accept, reject or ask for a modification of the navy’s funding requests and acquisition strategy for the SSN(X) program.
