It plans to stretch — literally — its Virginia-class attack submarines by an extra 28.7m to store 26 extra missiles (for a total of 40) and outfit them with an advanced sensory suite — at a quarter the cost of a new SSGN, just $US2 billion apiece. Sure the SSGN carries 154 Tomahawks, but there are only four SSGNs in the US fleet — compared to the 10 Virginia-class available. This modification will help spread the fleet’s firepower out more evenly.
Once the Virginia-class subs reenter service, they’ll be accompanied by torpedo-shaped “large-diameter Unmanned Underwater Vehicles” packed with long-range sensory equipment to act as a remote and highly-manoeuvrable extra set of eyes and ears. They’ll also carry a UAV that can be launched from the expanded Tomahawk tubes.
sauce
Sunday, October 23, 2011 at 10:12 AM>implying America needs nuclear submarines.
Patters
Sunday, October 23, 2011 at 11:07 AM>implying america needs anything more for their navy
Steve
Sunday, October 23, 2011 at 6:02 PM“Hey! We need nuclear submarines and $9 billion aircraft carriers to beat the terrorists with their AKs and roadside bombs!”
tsengan
Monday, October 24, 2011 at 3:36 PMSold! No better deterrant to IEDs than a nuclear sub parked off the coast.
Box Guru
Sunday, October 23, 2011 at 12:10 PMThose UUVs reminds me of the whiskers on Seaquest DSV.
Nathan
Sunday, October 23, 2011 at 6:10 PMCame here to say this. Wireless Sea Knowledge Retrieval Satellites (WSKRS), or Roaming Periscopes.
The Saint
Sunday, October 23, 2011 at 2:16 PMAhhhh America will just print some more money.
Ghazarios
Sunday, October 23, 2011 at 11:45 PMLol look at the officer on the far left.
fourthy
Monday, October 24, 2011 at 12:31 AMthat’s not an officer; that’s the COB
Michael Hasbun
Monday, October 24, 2011 at 6:43 AMI think that’s a Chief unfortunately…
Mr Odd
Monday, October 24, 2011 at 8:54 PMI think they use him to plug holes in the hull.
MattStreet
Monday, October 24, 2011 at 11:17 PMThey don’t call them “portly” for nothing. Even better, look at the one on the far right….. “No, you’re supossed to look this way. There is a difference between ‘about-face’ and ‘left face!’”
chugs
Monday, October 24, 2011 at 8:29 AMum that isn’t a picture of the entire crew. that class requires 120 people to run it.
Lillee
Monday, October 24, 2011 at 4:08 PMMake it so!
Yonatan
Monday, October 24, 2011 at 8:19 PMI think this will final put the Afghan navy on the run.
Mr Odd
Monday, October 24, 2011 at 8:52 PMAfghan navy? They don’t have coast.
Wally
Tuesday, October 25, 2011 at 12:39 AMAh, so very, very important now that we know that Al-Qaida has its own fleet of nuclear attack submarines with which to threaten American freedom and two-party democracy.
MDG
Tuesday, October 25, 2011 at 12:47 AMMay even scare the Iraqi and Libyan Airforces… (Again nonexistent)
To think of it, it will defend against all of the non-existent threats. (like the New Zealand Navy.. ) (Sure some are real, like their cold mates Russia, and other best mates, China…. just keep buying their ‘Junk’ and they won’t get too aggressive)
If america were just nice to the world they wouldn’t need as many big toys, but then we all like toys, another sub anyone???
detests liberals
Tuesday, October 25, 2011 at 7:09 AM@ Steve
We do need nuclear subs for other reasons.Anyone who thinks that we do not need some sort of protection from countries like China and North Korea need their liberal minds examined. Period.
Jamie
Tuesday, October 25, 2011 at 8:16 AMYa America does need all this protection because they are the most tyranicle vcriminal inhumain government the world has ever seen by far.If you don’t know that you need your head examined.PERIOD.
Sub-porter
Tuesday, October 25, 2011 at 12:59 PMExcept the jokers, You all speak like a starving power with not relistic minds, – and NOT WORTH, to be defended. Its decadence and defaitism.
Clerly
@Jamie, all who dont fit into your strongly narrowed strategic world antiwestimperialist/”anti”fascist picture of “most criminal inhuman government world has seen” are sick like “islamophobes”. Go and dream further.
Capt. Crow
Tuesday, October 25, 2011 at 1:37 PMI can assure you, as an American, that when they will do this modification, it will cost more than $2 billion, and they will still build a whole new class of sub to replace it. This sort of nonsense from the Pentagon is why the US is completely broke now. We worker ants here really can’t afford this stuff but they keep building it anyway.
I also find it interesting that I have to read about this on an Australian website because it isn’t mentioned anywhere in the US. Why? Because this is small potatoes in our military’s scheme of things.
Be grateful you don’t have raving paranoids running your country.