The Congressional Research Service has published a new report concerning the Virginia class attack submarine. This report mentions the future construction of a Modified Virginia class Subsea and Seabed Warfare (Mod VA SSW).
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Artist rendering of the future Block V Virginia class USS Silversides. (Picture source: US DoD)
The Navy's proposed budget for FY2024 includes the procurement of the 39th and 40th Virginia-class submarines. One of these submarines, referred to as the "Modified Virginia Class Subsea and Seabed Warfare (Mod VA SSW)" configuration, is specifically designed to have capabilities for conducting seabed warfare missions.
The estimated combined procurement cost for the two submarines requested in FY2024 is around $9.4 billion. The Mod VA SSW submarine has a procurement cost of roughly $5.1 billion, while the other submarine has a procurement cost of approximately $4.3 billion.
The design phase is currently ongoing, focusing on major decisions regarding systems, components, and space configuration.
Virginia class
The Virginia class, also known as the SSN-774 class, represents a remarkable series of nuclear-powered cruise missile fast-attack submarines that have been serving in the United States Navy.
The primary purpose of the Virginia-class submarines is to excel across a wide spectrum of naval missions, both in open-ocean and littoral environments. They have been specifically engineered to undertake critical operations such as anti-submarine warfare and intelligence gathering.
