According to a press release published by Huntington Ingalls Industries on March 30, 2021, the firm announced that the shipbuilding team, which includes its Newport News Shipbuilding division, has been awarded a contract modification in support of construction of the 10th Virginia-class Block V submarine.
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Virginia-Class Submarine Washington SSN 787 (Picture source: Huntington Ingalls Industries)
In December 2019, Newport News and teaming partner General Dynamics Electric Boat received a $22 billion contract to build nine Virginia-class submarines. The contract modification, which exercises an option for the last fast-attack submarine of the block, brings the total value of the contract for Newport News to $9.8 billion.
“We are pleased that Congress supported the restoration of funding for the 10th Virginia-class boat in Block V,” said Jason Ward, Newport News’ vice president of Virginia-class submarine construction. “We look forward to building and delivering the final boat of the block that maintains production at two submarines per year and continues to stabilize the industrial base.”
In total, Newport News and Electric Boat have built and delivered 19 Virginia-class submarines. Construction on the 10th submarine of the Block V is expected to begin in early 2024.
The Virginia-class submarine is armed with VPM (Virginia Payload Module) with 28 Tomahawk BGM-109 long-range land-attack missiles, 12 VLS Vertical Launching System (Tomahawk BGM-109) tubes, and four 533 mm torpedo tubes able to launch Mk-48 heavyweight submarine-launched torpedoes and UGM-84 Harpoon anti-ship missiles. The Virginia Payload Module (VPM) gives the guided-missile capability to the submarine. The Virginia-class Block V has an increased length, from 377 ft (115 m) to 460 ft (140 m), and displacement, from 7,800 tons to 10,200 tons.
