US Navy orders 2 Virginia class submarines and starts work on Ohio class SSBN replacement

The Unites States Navy awarded a 5 year contract worth up to $1.99 billion for research and development work on a new submarine class to succeed the current Ohio class. The Navy plans to purchase 12 new submarines from 2021 on to replace the current fleet of Ohio-class submarines.

The Pentagon said the contract includes:

• design work on the new submarine class
• continued work on a new common missile compartment being developed by the US Navy and the United Kingdom
• cost reduction initiatives
• full scale prototype manufacturing and assembly

The Unites States Navy also awarded another $2.5 billion contract for continued construction of 2 Virginia-class nuclear attack submarines, split between General Dynamics Corp and Huntington Ingalls Industries.

Specifications Virginia class

Type: Attack Submarine, Nulclear-powered (SSN)
Length: 377 ft / 115 m
Beam: 34 ft / 10.4 m
Displacement: 7800 long tons / 7900 ton
Payload: 40 weapons, special operations forces, unmanned undersea vehicles, Advanced SEAL Delivery System (ASDS)
Propulsion: S9G nuclear reactor
Maximum diving depth: greater than 800 ft / 240 m
Speed: greater than 25 knots (46 km/h or 29 mph)
Crew: 120 enlisted and 14 officers
Armament: 12-cell Vertical Launch System and four torpedo tubes, capable of launching Mark 48 torpedoes, UGM-109 Tactical Tomahawks and Harpoon missiles

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/general-dynamics-huntington-ingalls-win-212721612.html

By U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Steven Myers [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

By US Navy, [Public Domain], via Wikimedia Commons