US Nuclear Submarine Force

USS New Hampshire Returns from Maiden Deployment
Navy NewsStand

Story Number: NNS090722-41
Release Date: 7/22/2009 10:58:00 PM

By Lt. Patrick Evans, Commander Submarine Group 2 Public Affairs

GROTON, Conn. (NNS) -- The Virginia-class fast-attack submarine USS New Hampshire (SSN 778) returned July 22 to Naval Submarine Base New London in Groton, Conn., after her first deployment.

New Hampshire was the first Virginia-class submarine to deploy in support of operations in the U.S. European Command Area of Responsibility.

"It was a marvelous performance by the entire crew. It was really rewarding. It's rewarding to be back and see our families though. We're happy to be here," said Cmdr. Michael Stevens, New Hampshire's commanding officer.

During her maiden deployment, New Hampshire, the fifth submarine of the Virginia-class, made port calls in France, Spain and Norway. While in Norway, New Hampshire's crew participated in the weeklong Norwegian Submarine Centennial celebration with submariners from that Norway, Germany, Russia and the United Kingdom. During the celebration, the crew marched through downtown Bergen, Norway, to help the country celebrate its 100th submarine birthday.

"We have 134 crew members," said Stevens. "For about 80 percent, it was their first deployment, and probably for more than that, it was their first time in a foreign country. So it was a lot of fun for them. They had a good time."

Though the crew may have had a good time, they said it is better to be home.

"I'm looking forward to relaxing and sleeping in, but I know that ain't gonna happen," said Machinist's Mate 1st Class Adam LaMar, as he held his 10-month-old daughter, Indy, who was chosen to receive the traditional "first hug" upon arrival.

For many family members, the crew's homecoming was an emotional occasion.

"It is a whirlwind of emotions. Words can't really describe the feeling," said Candice Revitzer, wife of Ensign Jason Revitzer, New Hampshire's supply officer. "It's very hard to be apart from each other, but if anything, it really teaches you how strong your love is."

The Revitzer couple was chosen to execute the traditional "first kiss" upon the ship's return home.

New Hampshire was launched Feb. 21, 2008 and christened four months later June 21, 2008 in Groton, eight months ahead of schedule and $54 million under budget. She finished initial sea trials, was delivered to the Navy Aug. 28, 2008 and was then commissioned at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in Kittery, Maine, Oct. 25, 2008.

The name New Hampshire was awarded to the submarine after a letter writing campaign by third graders from Garrison Elementary School in Dover, New Hampshire, to members of Congress, the state governor and the secretary of the Navy.

For more news from Commander Submarine Group 2, visit www.navy.mil/local/Subgru2/.

http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/library/news/2009/07/mil-090722-nns01.htm

US Navy Seeks Drastic Increase in Tomahawk Missiles on Attack Subs

As the US prepares to retire its Ohio-class submarines, the Navy is looking for ways to make up for that loss in firepower. One consideration is to outfit Virginia-class subs with even more missiles. 28 more, to be precise, a dramatic increase from the current 12.

The United States currently operates 18 Ohio-class submarines. But in 2020, the Navy will begin decommissioning four of these vessels, each capable of firing up to 154 Tomahawk missiles. Which is a lot less firepower on the high seas.

"When the [Ohio-class submarines] retire in the 2020s – if no action is taken the Navy will lose about 60% of its undersea strike launchers," Navy Captain David Goggins, Virginia-class submarine program manager, told Military.com.

To mitigate this loss, the Navy is considering some pretty substantial upgrades to its Virginia-class subs. While this class can currently fire 12 Tomahawks, the military has plans to start adding new missile tube sections, which would allow an additional 28 Tomahawks.

Construction on these new sections was originally slated to begin in 2019, but the Navy is evaluating whether that timeframe can be expedited.

Most of the Virginia-class vessels have 12 individual 21-inch diameter vertical launch tubes. Models currently under construction are instead being built with two launch tubes that measure 87-inches in diameter, and will house 6 missiles each.

The upgrades will add even more of these wider tubes.

"With the Virginia Payload Modules, we’re adding a body section that will house four additional Virginia Payload Tubes," Goggins said. "That will allow you to go from 12 to 40 Tomahawks – that is the main driver or requirement for this new module."

These larger launch tubes can also accommodate larger artillery, and will leave room for any future artillery which could be developed.

"We will have flexibility to house a range of weapons that were too big to fit in our existing VLS tubes. We have inherent flexibility," Goggins said. "As new payloads become available and as the demand and threat environment change – we will have the flexibility to adapt future payloads."

All in all, the Navy plans to expand its heavily armed, Virginia-class fleet to 51 ships by 2033, costing in excess of $14 billion.

One explanation for this massive overhaul in naval capabilities, aside from the retiring of the Ohio-class, could be traced back to comments made by Rear Admiral Joseph Tofalo, director of undersea warfare, during the Sea, Air and Space Exposition last April.

"There are two countries on the planet today with a new [fleet ballistic missile submarine] in the water and sea based missiles being flight tested," he said. "Neither of those countries are the United States – they are China and Russia."

Read more: http://sputniknews.com/us/20150317/1019622021.html#ixzz3UgAo5fMQ

New Nuclear Sub's Funding to Start on Time Despite Media Reports - US Navy

Earlier in March, media reported that the US Navy and Congress had not managed to find the funds to pay for the procurement of the Ohio Replacement Program, in charge of replacing the aging Ohio-class submarines with 12 more advanced subs.

MOSCOW (Sputnik), Alexander Mosesov — Procurement funding for the US next-generation strategic nuclear submarine will start in 2017 as expected, despite earlier media reports claiming the funds have not been found yet, a US Navy spokeswoman told Sputnik on Wednesday.

Compared to its predecessor — the third-generation Ohio-class strategic nuclear submarine, which was built from 1976 till 1997 — the fourth-generation replacement submarine is expected to feature fewer launch tubes, state-of-the-art sonar, optical imaging and weapons control systems, a new electric drive and a nuclear fuel core able to power the ship for its entire service life.

"[Advanced] procurement for the Navy's top programmatic priority, the Ohio replacement program, begins… in fiscal year 2017 and leading to the procurement of the first boat construction in fiscal year 2021," Nicole Schwegman told Sputnik.

The first replacement submarine is expected to cost $12,4 billion, including $4,8 billion in design and engineering costs and $7,6 billion in construction costs. The first submarine is expected to enter service in 2031.

As of 2015, Russia is the world's only country with fourth-generation strategic nuclear submarines in service — the Borey-class submarines, which are to become the mainstay of the naval component of Russia's strategic nuclear deterrent.

Read more: http://sputniknews.com/military/20150325/1020001327.html#ixzz3VQWJkbF9

By 2031 hopefully Russia will deploy fifth-generation subs .

max steel wrote:By 2031 hopefully Russia will deploy fifth-generation subs .

u mean attack submarines?

any type of subs man . Just want them to stay few steps ahead of yanks in naval warfare .

New SSBN(X) project to replace Ohio class submarines. 12 submarines that will have 16 launchers. Construction will begin in 2021

US laid the 16th multipurpose nuclear submarine class "Virginia"

Invisible No More: US Stealth Subs to Lose Unbeatable Advantage



The US Navy's worst nightmare is about to come true: new technologies will deal a severe blow to the ability of American stealth submarines to vanish beneath the waters without a trace, Professor of Strategy at the Naval War College James Holmes stressed.
US atomic stealth submarines have long enjoyed their unbeatable advantage to remain undetected beneath the oceans' waters; however, a new technological revolution is likely to nullify this advantage, undermining America's capacity to execute its ambitious foreign policy in distant waters, Professor of Strategy at the Naval War College James Holmes underscored.

"Unless US forces adapt to and lead the new competition, the era of unrivaled US undersea dominance could draw to a surprisingly abrupt close," Bryan Clark, the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments (CSBA) analyst and retired US Navy commander, stated as quoted by the professor.




Almost 60 years ago US stealth submarines had become game-changers in underwater warfare, while the advent of nuclear propulsion allowed this craft to remain beneath the waves for protracted periods of time. No longer could anti-submarine forces rely on radio or radars in order to detect elusive US subs.
However, a new technological leap is about to upset the US Navy's applecart. Big Data, non-acoustic detection, and fire-control technology will allow hostile antisubmarine (ASW) forces to detect the traces of a US stealth sub, converting this information into tracking and targeting data.


However, the situation for US subs is not entirely desperate, the expert noted. Mr. Holmes suggested that submarines should now study both passive and active defense paradigms.

They might act like naval aviation, namely the latest air-force F-22 and F-35 fighter jets, which rely more on "active countermeasures" such as electronic warfare than on stealth. "Naval airmen defeat or fool defenses rather than elude them," the professor elaborated.

On the other hand, fleets of unmanned undersea vehicles (UUVs) may extend the submarine's ability to counter ASW, while new torpedoes and Tomahawk anti-ship missiles "would help redress the imbalance between subs and access deniers."

Anyway, US stealth subs will no longer be able to disappear from their adversaries' view with impunity, the professor underscored, adding that it is more likely that the underwater theatre will resemble much of the aerial and surface theaters



http://sputniknews.com/military/20150613/1023330448.html#ixzz3d1uwIitu


Can anyone assess this particular article ?? We don't have a dedicated anti-sub warfare thread on this forum .

PS:- Open the link and read Josh Seymour comments .

US Navy to Commission Newest ‘Fast Attack’ Submarine

Pentagon will unleash its latest next-generation stealth attack submarine during a ceremony this weekend.

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — The US Department of Defense will unleash its latest next-generation stealth attack submarine during a ceremony this weekend, the US Navy said in a press release.

“The Navy will commission its newest fast attack submarine, the future USS John Warner… Saturday, Aug. 1, 2015, at Naval Station Norfolk [Virginia],” the release said on Wednesday.

Warner is a next-generation submarine that showcases stealth, surveillance and special warfare capabilities to operate across multiple types of missions, the release explained.

The Virginia-class submarines can hit targets ashore with precision and can conduct surveillance of land or sea-based forces, according to the release.

The vessel is also equipped, the release noted, for anti-submarine and anti-ship warfare, minefield mapping and delivery of US Special Forces.

US Virginia-class submarines weigh 7,800 tons and are 377 feet long. They are built with a reactor plant that will not require refuelling during the ship’s projected 33-year lifespan in order to reduce lifecycle costs, the release added.

The submarine is named after US Senator John Warner who served the United States as a Marine, sailor and the 61st Secretary of the Navy from 1972 to 1974, the release said.

Read more: http://sputniknews.com/military/20150730/1025199005.html#ixzz3hMo2rvLw

George1 wrote:US Navy to Commission Newest ‘Fast Attack’ Submarine

Pentagon will unleash its latest next-generation stealth attack submarine during a ceremony this weekend.

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — The US Department of Defense will unleash its latest next-generation stealth attack submarine during a ceremony this weekend, the US Navy said in a press release.

“The Navy will commission its newest fast attack submarine, the future USS John Warner… Saturday, Aug. 1, 2015, at Naval Station Norfolk [Virginia],” the release said on Wednesday.

Warner is a next-generation submarine that showcases stealth, surveillance and special warfare capabilities to operate across multiple types of missions, the release explained.

The Virginia-class submarines can hit targets ashore with precision and can conduct surveillance of land or sea-based forces, according to the release.

The vessel is also equipped, the release noted, for anti-submarine and anti-ship warfare, minefield mapping and delivery of US Special Forces.

US Virginia-class submarines weigh 7,800 tons and are 377 feet long. They are built with a reactor plant that will not require refuelling during the ship’s projected 33-year lifespan in order to reduce lifecycle costs, the release added.

The submarine is named after US Senator John Warner who served the United States as a Marine, sailor and the 61st Secretary of the Navy from 1972 to 1974, the release said.

Read more: http://sputniknews.com/military/20150730/1025199005.html#ixzz3hMo2rvLw

So its a mulyi purpose sub not 5th gen sub ? I have noticed usa dont receal much about their submarines.

Oooops, faulty welding, how could that happen with strict, best in the world, US military QC?

WASHINGTON — The US Navy has restricted the operations of its three newest submarines — including one placed in commission just last Saturday — pending inspections and repairs to a key steam plant component.

At issue are problems found with elbows in 10-inch pipes that funnel steam from the reactor plant to the propulsion turbines. Elbows are installed in piping to get around corners and other obstructions.

The problems, said a senior Navy official, were detected earlier this year, prompting a civil investigative demand leading to an investigation begun in April. A fleet message restricting operations of the three submarines was sent Aug. 5, and congressional authorities were notified the same day.

Much more of this saga at http://www.defensenews.com/story/defense/naval/submarines/2015/08/05/submarine-virginia-class-nuclear-shipbuilding-electric-boat-newport-news-huntington-ingalls-naval-sea-systems-command-navsea-john-warner-minnesota-north-dakota-reactor-nuflo/31188575/

Navy Preparing for Next-Generation Attack Submarine SSN(X) Decisions in 2024

Though the Virginia-class attack submarine program (SSN-774) is still going strong, delivering boats ahead of schedule and below original cost estimates, the Navy needs to start planning the next generation of attack submarines soon, according to the program executive office for submarines.

PEO Subs executive director George Drakeley said last week at the annual Naval Submarine League symposium that an analysis of alternatives for the next-generation sub, or SSN(X), would take place in 2024.

To prepare for that milestone, PEO Subs has created a future capabilities group to begin studying what the operating environment might look like in the 2050 timeframe, what technologies submarines would require to be successful in that environment, and what enablers the research and development community can start working on now to set up the future program for success, he said.

“We’re already putting together a team to look at, what does the future submarine after Virginia need to look like? This is looking forward just as the Ohio Replacement Program is looking forward, but it’s important that we do this now,” Drakeley said.
“We need to identify the technologies that we’re going to need out in the future years in the attack submarine business. … This is going to be a submarine that will have to be better integrated with [unmanned underwater vehicles] and other sensors and other capabilities that we maybe haven’t even thought of yet.”

In 2013 the Navy expanded the Virginia class from a 30-boat program to 48, which now puts the last Virginia-class sub at delivering in 2034, he said. The SSN(X) analysis of alternatives will take place in 2024, the authorization for the lead ship in the new class will happen in 2034, and the new class will reach initial operational capability in 2044, according to current PEO Subs plans.

Starting the SSN(X) discussion nearly a decade ahead of the AoA will help ensure that mature technologies and design tools are ready when the program starts, which reduces risk and cost; will help the Navy understand the impact of external factors and other programs on the SSN(X) design and mission; and build affordability into the program, Drakeley said during his presentation.

For example, he said the program will need to understand how the Navy expects the submarine to interact with off-board assets, and whether a single design can meet all mission needs or whether a mixed-class approach might be more appropriate.

On the Virginia class, the Navy is about to deliver the third Block III sub, Illinois (SSN-786), later this year. Block III included a 20-percent design change and is still expected to deliver in 66 months, compared to the 84 months for the first block of boats. The service has already authorized several of the Block IV boats, which will begin delivering in 2019 and will boast increased operational availability and decreased total ownership cost. Block V, which will include the Virginia Payload Module, is in the design phase now and will be authorized beginning in Fiscal Year 2019.

General Dynamics receives Virginia-class submarine contract modification



The U.S. Navy has awarded General Dynamics Electric Boat a $102.8 million contract modification to develop Virginia-class attack submarines.Virginia-class submarines are also fitted for intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance operations, in addition to mine warfare. Virginia-class vessels are one of three classes of attack submarines in service in the U.S. Navy, which also includes the Los Angeles class and the Seawolf class

Navy Hunts for Its Next-Generation Nuclear Submarine

The Defense Department has given the U.S. Navy the green light to begin entertaining proposals for the service’s next ballistic missile submarine, an effort that could cost nearly $350 billion over its lifetime.

A Pentagon spokeswoman told Bloomberg on Tuesday that Frank Kendall, the agency’s top weapons buyer, told the Navy it could release a request for proposals for the development phase of 12 Ohio-class replacement subs.

The service wants to buy 12 boats to replace the current force of 14 Trident Ohio-class ballistic missile submarines, which entered into service in the early 1980s. Navy officials have pegged the cost of the Ohio replacement program, also known as the SSBN(X), at around $139 billion dollars. The effort’s lifetime cost will come in at roughly $347 billion.

The Navy budgeted $1.4 billion for research and design in fiscal year 2016, and the development phase, which will last for years, has an estimated cost of $15 billion. The Congressional Budget Office says first submarine could cost $13 billion.

The service has put a premium on the shipbuilding effort, which officials argue is essential for maintaining the country’s nuclear triad and keep up with aggressive naval pushes by Russia and China.


On Tuesday, Chief of Naval Operations Adm. John Richardson released his first strategic guidance document since taking the service’s top job and singled out the submarine modernization effort as a way the U.S. can maintain its maritime superiority.


“This is foundational to our survival as a nation,” he writes.



Capitol Hill lawmakers, some with major shipyards in their districts or home states, have heard the service’s pleas and responded in kind.



The fiscal 2015 defense policy bill authorized a special account for the SSBN(X) effort, dubbed the “National Sea-Based Deterrence Fund.” The thinking goes that the sub effort is so large and so expensive that it should be considered a “national” program and therefore funded from accounts throughout the Pentagon, rather than strictly from Navy coffers, thus avoiding painful budget cuts to other shipbuilding programs.

However, congressional appropriators have resisted the move, countering that a special account for the boats would set a bad precedent and that the “national” tag could easily be applied to other expensive weapon platforms, such as the Air Force’s $400 billion F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, and have left the account empty.

Kendall has also derided the deterrence fund as a gimmick that does nothing to alleviate the budget pressures the department has been under the last several years.

The first submarine is expected to be purchased in 2021, with an initial fund request coming in fiscal 2017.

Who will bid on the program is less mysterious, since General Dynamics and Huntington Ingalls Industries are the country’s only submarine builders.

http://about.bgov.com/blog/pentagon-approves-request-for-proposal-for-nuclear-submarine/

US Navy SSGN completes repairs after grounding


A US Navy (USN) guided-missile nuclear-powered submarine (SSGN) has completed repairs following a grounding in late 2015 and is expected to re-enter the water this week, officials told IHS Jane's on 5 January.



The Ohio-class SSGN USS Georgia (SSGN 729) has been in dry dock for repairs following an incident, on 25 November, involving a channel buoy as the boat returned to port at Kings Bay, Georgia.

The boat had been conducting local operations off the coast of Florida and was returning to base when it struck the buoy. Lieutenant Lily Hinz, a spokesperson for the USN's Submarine Group 10, told IHS Jane's that the incident caused a partial grounding near the entrance to the channel.

US Navy Adds Contract to Next Generation Nuclear Sub Planning Program

Read more: http://sputniknews.com/military/20160210/1034485010/us-nextgen-sub-planning-contract.html#ixzz3zk6DdNkG

US Navy picks Electric Boat as prime contractor for new sub

The Navy's plan for a new fleet of ballistic missile submarines calls for Newport News Shipbuilding to do roughly one-fifth of the work and assume greater responsibility in the ongoing Virginia-class sub program.

As expected, the Navy has selected General Dynamics Electric Boat of Groton, Conn., as the prime contractor to build the 12 submarines, which will replace the aging Ohio-class boats. The announcement, issued late Monday, was not a formal contract award, but what the Navy calls a Submarine Unified Build Strategy that sets out general parameters of an agreement.

Ballistic missile submarines are the undersea portion of America's nuclear triad, complementing long-range bombers and land-based missiles. Because the Ohio-class boats are nearing the end of their service life, replacing them is the Navy's top priority. The new submarines don't yet have a name, so it is simply known as the Ohio Replacement Program.

National security aside, it also means additional work for the Newport News shipyard, a division of Huntington Ingalls Industries and Virginia's largest industrial employer.

Newport News will perform 22 percent to 23 percent of the work on the new submarines as a subcontractor, according to the announcement, which came from the office of Sean Stackley, assistant Navy secretary for research, acquisition and development. Newport News will assist in designing the new subs and construct major components, the statement adds.

The Virginia-class submarine John Warner completed initial sea trials on Saturday, May 16, 2015, according to a news release from Newport News Shipbuilding. All systems, components and compartments were tested. The submarine also submerged for the first time and operated at high speeds on the surface and underwater.

Meanwhile, Newport News and Electric Boat will continue to build the smaller Virginia-class attack submarines in a teaming arrangement. Workers at each yard build components of the subs, then alternate in final assembly and delivery to the Navy.

Newport News will be called upon to deliver additional Virginia-class submarines once the Ohio replacement program is up and running, according to the Navy's statement.

It is unclear how many additional deliveries will occur at Newport News or when that will happen."The Navy may adjust the workload and VCS (Virginia class submarine) deliveries based on cost and schedule performance parameters to minimize any effects on delivery of OR and VCS submarines," Stackley's statement reads.

Both shipbuilders have agreed to this build strategy, said the Navy.The first Ohio-class replacement sub is due to be ordered in 2021. The Navy's current plan is to build one new sub each year starting in the mid-2020s. Each boat will cost about $5 billion. The first boat will be more expensive because it will include research and design funding for the entire class.

Christie Miller, a Newport News shipyard spokeswoman, said details of additional work with the Virginia-class program are still being worked out.
"We are pleased to be a significant design and manufacturing participant in the Ohio Replacement Program and take on a larger role in Virginia-class deliveries with our partners at Electric Boat," she said. "With this commitment from the Navy, we are making significant investment in our facilities and our workforce to support construction of both the Virginia-class and Ohio replacement programs."

The Navy's plan was well received in Connecticut, where Rep. Joe Courtney goes to bat for Electric Boat as a member of the House Armed Services Committee. The Democratic lawmaker recently visited the Newport News shipyard.

"As the Navy indicates in their announcement, tackling the Ohio Replacement will require close coordination between Congress, the Navy and industry," he said.

Courtney is the top Democrat on the House Armed Services sea power panel. It is chaired by Rep. Randy Forbes, R-Chesapeake, who also lauded the announcement.

"The workload split on Ohio Replacement and the decision to deliver moreVirginiasin Hampton Roads represent big wins for the region that our shipbuilders should be proud of," Forbes said.

Electric Boat and Newport News are the only two U.S. shipyards that build nuclear-powered submarines for the Navy. Part of the strategy behind the Navy's plan is to continue to maintain two shipyards with that capability.

In recent testimony before Congress, Navy leaders have expressed concern about maintaining their undersea advantage against adversaries such as Russia and China. Current production of Virginia-class subs stands at two per year.

The plan calls for only one Virginia class boat in 2021, when the Navy orders its first Ohio-class replacement. But Navy leaders have already said they want to change that and fund two Virginia class subs that year.

Courtney said it's his understanding that the Navy intends to keep Virginia-class production at two per year through at least 2023.

Virginia Payload module will increase cruise missiles on Virginia Submarines by 76%



The US Navy plans to build one of the two Virginia-class boats procured in FY2019, and all Virginia class boats procured in FY2020 and subsequent years, with an additional mid-body section, called the Virginia Payload Module (VPM). The VPM, reportedly about 70 feet in length (earlier design concepts for the VPM were reportedly about 94 feet in length), contains four large diameter, vertical launch tubes that would be used to store and fire additional Tomahawk cruise missiles or other payloads, such as large-diameter unmanned underwater vehicles (UUVs).

The four additional launch tubes in the VPM could carry a total of 28 additional Tomahawk cruise missiles (7 per tube), which would increase the total number of torpedo-sized weapons (such as Tomahawks) carried by the Virginia class design from about 37 to about 65—an increase of about 76%. The Navy wants to start building Virginia-class boats with the VPM in FY2019. Building Virginia-class boats with the VPM would compensate for a sharp loss in submarine force weapon-carrying capacity that will occur with the retirement in FY2026-FY2028 of the Navy’s four Ohio-class cruise missile/special operations forces support submarines (SSGNs).










Each SSGN is equipped with 24 large-diameter vertical launch tubes, of which 22 can be used to carry up to 7 Tomahawks each, for a maximum of 154 vertically launched Tomahawks per boat, or 616 vertically launched Tomahawks for the four boats. Twenty-two Virginia-class boats built with VPMs could carry 616 Tomahawks in their VPMs.

Secret Stealthy Submarine Aims to Retain US Military Superiority

The US Navy is building its new Virginia-class attack submarine the USS South Dakota (SSN-790), claiming that the warship will boast cutting-edge acoustic superiority features that will make it second to none.

"The Emerging Era in Undersea Warfare" report released by the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments back in January 2015 argued that the technological gap between the US and its competitors is narrowing.

"America's superiority in undersea warfare is the product of decades of research and development (R&D), a sophisticated defense industrial base, operational experience, and high-fidelity training. This superiority, however, is far from assured," the report warned.

"America's competitors are likely pursuing these technologies while also expanding their own undersea forces. To sustain its undersea advantage well into this century, the US Navy must accelerate innovation in undersea warfare by reconsidering the role of manned submarines and exploiting emerging technologies to field a new 'family of undersea systems'," it underscored.

To gain an advantage in undersea warfare the US Navy is currently building a new Virginia-class attack submarine USS South Dakota (SSN-790) with "acoustic superiority features" which will make the vessel stealthier.  

Osborn explains that "acoustic superiority" means engineering a "circumstance wherein US submarines can operate undetected in or near enemy water or coastline" while conducting reconnaissance or attack missions. Furthermore, the vessels boasting such a feature would be able to "sense" adversary's activities at farther ranges than its competitors can.

"We are talking about changes in sensors and changes in the capabilities aboard the ship that we think could be very dramatic in terms of improving our ability to compete in our acoustic spectrum," Rear Adm. Charles Richard, Director of Undersea Warfare told Scout Warrior.

"Chinese SSBNs [nuclear-armed submarines] are now able to patrol with nuclear-armed JL-2 missiles able to strike targets more than 4,500 nautical miles," Osborn notes.

And still, China's upcoming sharp increase in attack submarines and nuclear-armed submarines (SSBN) may change the balance of power in the Asia-Pacific region in the long run.

It is expected that the new stealthy USS South Dakota (SSN-790) will officially enter into service in August 2018.

US Navy envisions submarines with drones attaching and detaching like Remoras to sharks

The United States Navy would like to develop two key features for its next-generation SSN(X) successor to the Virginia-class attack submarines. One feature would effectively turn the future attack submarine into a underwater mother-ship for unmanned underwater vehicles (UUV) while another would dispense with noise-generating moving parts such as a propulsor or driveshaft in the propulsion system.

Vision of drones on a mother ship submarine like remoras.

“I would like some organic means of designing the submarine from the ground up that would seamlessly integrate UUVs,” Rear Adm. Michael Jabaley, the Navy’s program executive officer for submarines told the House Armed Services Committee on July 14.





Such a feat is still a technological leap. However, it would be a vast improvement on the current system of using every opening on a submarine to deploy a UUV. The Navy’s undersea force uses everything from torpedo tubes to the submarines’ trash chute to launch UUVs. A system such as the one Jabaley envisions would allow a future attack submarine to launch and recover UUVs at will.



The second innovation Jabaley wishes the Navy could develop is also inspired by nature—a biomimetic propulsion system that would eliminate a drive shaft and the spinning blades of a propulsor. If successful, that would lead to a revolutionary leap in acoustic performance.

The Navy has essentially reached the limits of what is possible for acoustic signature reduction with a purely mechanical system. While the future Ohio Replacement Program—and potentially even a follow-on attack submarine—are expected to use a permanent magnetic motor to increase stealth, Jabaley wants to take a step further. “The field of biomimetics is very interesting to me when you look at nature in actions and you think: ‘Boy, it would be great if we could design something that would take that leap forward and get us into a realm that would be acoustic-self unlike anything we’ve ever done before,’” Jabaley said.


A detailed design for the first Ohio Replacement Program is slated for 2017.

US Navy Stretches Submarine Fleet in Latest Fleet Plan

The US Navy is stretching the lives of some of its submarines, if only by a year or two.

In the latest version of the 30-year fleet shipbuilding plan, submitted to Congress July 9, the Navy juggled the schedule for ships it plans to dispose of in the next five years. The number of ships planned for inactivation in 2017 dropped from 10 to six, and four submarines gained a modest lease on life.

But overall, the service plans to inactivate a dozen Los Angeles-class attack submarines from 2017 through 2021, reflecting a general decline in the undersea fleet. From today’s 52-ship level, the attack boat fleet drops to 48 boats in 2022 and hits a low of 41 hulls in 2029, afterwards steadily rising to 51 subs in 2046. Those levels are consistent with what the service forecast a year ago.

In the latest iteration of the inactivation plan, two submarines previously scheduled to leave service in 2017 have been extended – the Jacksonville to 2018, and the Bremerton to 2019. Two submarines planned to leave the fleet in 2019 have also been stretched out – the Louisville to 2020, and the Providence to 2021.

Three submarines are leaving the fleet this year -- the City of Corpus Christi, Albuquerque, and Houston.

Three more are still scheduled to leave active service in 2017 – the Dallas and Buffalo will, like the other submarines, eventually be dismantled, while the San Francisco will be modified and converted to become a Moored Training Ship at the Navy’s nuclear power training school in Goose Creek, South Carolina.

According to the latest plan, three submarines – the Olympia, Louisville and Helena – will inactivate in 2020, while three more – Providence, Olympia and San Juan – will go in 2021. The San Juan will be the first of an improved Los Angeles-class variant to leave the fleet.

The Navy frequently adjusts inactivation dates based on a variety of factors, including operational need and budgetary constraints and, in the case of nuclear-powered ships, the amount of fuel remaining in the reactors. The four submarines being extended give back about six years of operating time, allowing for the possibility that at least one additional deployment could be gained from each extension.

Another ship that was to have left the fleet in 2017, the Afloat Forward Staging Base Ponce, has been extended to 2018. The Ponce has proven useful operating with the Fifth Fleet from Bahrain but, having been in service since 1971, is wearing out. She will be replaced by new ESB Expeditionary Sea Base ships.

Still on the inactivation list for 2020 are the cruisers Bunker Hill and Mobile Bay, which will become the first Ticonderoga-class cruisers equipped with vertical launch systems to decommission. Their inactivation will reduce the number of cruisers in service from 22 to 20, although those numbers are offset by an increasing number of Flight IIA Arleigh Burke-class destroyers, along with new Flight III destroyers equipped with the Air Missile Defense Radar (AMDR).

Both the Bunker Hill and Mobile Bay were upgraded by the first cruiser modernization program applied to 11 ships. The first pair of the remaining eleven, Cowpens and Gettysburg, began their upgrades in 2016. The Navy plans to replace the first 11 ships with the second group in the air defense commander role to protect deployed aircraft carriers.

The 2017 shipbuilding budget, which includes the Future Years Defense Plan (FYDP) into 2021, was submitted to Congress in February, and the latest 30-year plan reflects those numbers, along with the Navy’s admission that the shipbuilding plan provides fewer ships than needed. The plan continues with the goal of a 308-ship fleet, even as the Navy is re-evaluating the Force Structure Assessment (FSA) that determined that goal.

Along with a new fleet architecture study, a revised FSA is expected to be reflected in the fiscal 2018 budget to be submitted in early 2017. Service officials have stated they expect the 308-ship number to go up in the new assessment – and they continue to advocate the need for greater funding levels to maintain the fleet, which sits today at 276 ships.

“The shipbuilding plan described in this report achieves the shipbuilding plan objective of 308 battle force ships from FY2021 through FY2028,” the Navy said in the report, “albeit not with the FSA required mix of ships. The rate of large and small surface combatant and [submarine] retirements beyond FY2028 exceeds the ability of the Navy to finance a build rate that sustains the 308-ship force structure.”

The Navy expects its Battle Force Inventory to total 287 ships in 2017, rising to a peak of 313 in 2025. After that, the fleet shrinks again, dropping below 300 in 2031 and holding in the 290s through 2046, the extent of the latest 30-year plan.

As a result of the inactivations, the Navy will see a rise in the number of ships it needs to dispose of. Three disposal methods are generally used with ships no longer required or at the end of their service lives: foreign military sale (FMS); sinking in a target or weapons exercise (SINKEX); or dismantlement, also referred to as scrapping or recycling. Ships can also be donated or transferred for use as museums or memorials.

No FMS candidates are listed in the latest fleet plan, a reflection of the lack of suitable types of ships. The US does not transfer nuclear-powered ships, and with the decommissioning in 2015 of the last of the Oliver Hazard Perry-class frigates no new ships have appeared on the FMS list.

But the number of ships that will need to be scrapped jumped from 18 in 2016 to 25 in 2017, boosted by several FMS frigates no one wanted. Two aircraft carriers, the Independence and Kitty Hawk, remain on the recycling list, joined by the former display ship Barry, a decommissioned destroyer that was open to visitors at the Washington Navy Yard for 31 years prior to closing in the fall of 2015.

The SINKEX fleet grew from five ships last year to seven ships available in 2017, including four frigates, the landing ship tank Racine and two attack cargo ships.

The Navy plans to retire a total of 28 battle force ships from 2017 through 2021.