The Navy’s Virginia-Class Submarines Are Getting an Upgrade
Equipped with MK48 heavy torpedoes and Tomahawk cruise missiles, fast-attack subs like the Virginia-class can rain terror on an adversary fleet.
The U.S. Navy’s Virginia-Class attack submarines will be getting more firepower following a multi-million contract with BAE Systems to increase the sub’s Tomahawk missile payload.
Virginia-class submarines are the most advanced fast-attack submarines in the world.
More Firepower for the Virginia-Class
The contract concerns the Virginia Payload Module (VPM) upgrade to the fast-attack submarine that aims for an increase in firepower. Each VPM tube can launch up to seven Tomahawk cruise missiles.
A long-range, all-weather cruise missile, the Tomahawk Land Attack Missile (TLAM) is primarily used for deep land attack warfare. Depending on the version of the missile, Tomahawks can reach targets almost 1,600 miles away.
“These missile tubes deliver critical firepower to the Virginia-class submarine fleet, a cornerstone to US national security,” BAE Systems Submarine Programs for Platforms & Services director Charles Lewis said.
The U.S. Navy has also awarded General Dynamics a $1.06 billion contract for the procurement of the necessary materials for the Block VI upgrade to the Virginia-class subs. The agreement with BAE Systems, valued at $70 million, is a subcontract of the bigger project.
“Continuing to manufacture VPMs at our Louisville, Kentucky, facility maintains our strong support to the industrial base, while also ensuring sailors receive the capability they need to protect our country,” Lewis added.
Much like the rest of the Navy’s submarine fleet, Virginia-class subs are powered by nuclear power. They can remain underway for long periods of time and only have to port for victuals and ammunition.
The Navy recently commissioned the 24th Virginia-class ship.
The Navy’s Attack Submarines Are Second to None
Submarines form a key part of the Navy’s fleet. Their ability to track and sink enemy shipping can change the dynamics of potential conflicts with China in the Indo-Pacific region. The Chinese Navy can put to sea more than 700 surface combatants, submarines, support vessels, and patrol craft in a conflict. With less than half that number available, the U.S. Navy would need to maximize its strengths. And submarines are undeniably a strength.
The burden of responding to Chinese aggression would mostly fall on the Navy’s fast-attack submarine fleet. Fast-attack subs have one primary goal: find and sink enemy shipping. Equipped with MK48 heavy torpedoes and Tomahawk cruise missiles, fast-attack subs can rain terror on an adversary fleet. Today, the Navy operates three classes of fast-attack subs: the Los Angeles-class, the Seawolf-class, and the Virginia-class.
According to the Navy, its fast-attack submarines “are designed to seek and destroy enemy submarines and surface ships; project power ashore with Tomahawk cruise missiles and Special Operation Forces (SOF); carry out Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) missions; support battle group operations; and engage in mine warfare.”
But submarines also have a psychological effect. The threat of a submarine attack is enough for an adversary to either commit increasingly more resources to anti-submarine operations or seriously restrict its operations altogether. During World War II, the Allies devoted vast resources to combatting German submarine wolfpacks, which were still able to sink millions of tons of materiel.
About the Author: Stavros Atlamazoglou
Stavros Atlamazoglou is a seasoned defense journalist specializing in special operations and a Hellenic Army veteran (national service with the 575th Marine Battalion and Army HQ). He holds a BA from the Johns Hopkins University and an MA from the Johns Hopkins’ School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS). His work has been featured in Business Insider, Sandboxx, and SOFREP.
Image: Wikimedia Commons.