Virginia-class submarine

	Virginia-class SSN profile
	USS Virginia underway in July 2004
Class overview
Builders	General Dynamics Electric Boat; Huntington Ingalls Industries; Newport News Shipbuilding;
Operators	United States Navy; Royal Australian Navy (planned);
Preceded by	Seawolf class
Succeeded by	SSN(X) class
Cost	$2.8 billion per unit (2019); $4.3 billion per unit w/VPM (2023)
Built	2000–present
In commission	2004–present
Planned	66
On order	4
Building	10
Completed	24
Active	23
General characteristics
Type	Nuclear attack submarine
Displacement	Submerged:; Block I–IV: 7,900 t (8,700 short tons); Block V: 10,200 t (11,200 short tons);
Length	377 ft (115 m); 460 ft (140 m) for Block V;
Beam	34 ft (10 m)
Propulsion	1 × S9G nuclear reactor 280,000 hp (210 MW); 2 × steam turbines 40,000 shp (30 MW); 1 × single shaft pump-jet propulsor; 1 × secondary propulsion motor;
Speed	25 knots (46 km/h; 29 mph) or over
Range	Unlimited
Endurance	Only limited by food and maintenance requirements.
Test depth	Over 800 ft (240 m)
Complement	135 (15 officers; 120 enlisted)
Armament	Block I–IV:; 12 × VLS tubes (for Tomahawk cruise missiles); 4 × 21" torpedo tubes (for Mk-48 torpedos or UGM-84 Harpoon missiles); 25 × torpedoes & missiles (torpedo room) + 12 × missiles (in the VLS tubes); Block V:; VPM module (28 × Tomahawk BGM-109); 12 × VLS tubes (1 × Tomahawk BGM-109 each); 4 × 21" torpedo tubes for Mk-48 torpedoes or UGM-84 Harpoon missiles; 65 × torpedoes & missiles total;

The Virginia class, or the SSN-774 class, is the latest class of nuclear-powered cruise missile fast-attack submarines in service with the United States Navy. Designed by General Dynamics Electric Boat (EB) and Huntington Ingalls Industries, the Virginia class incorporates the latest in stealth, intelligence gathering, and weapons systems.

Virginia-class submarines are designed for a broad spectrum of open-ocean and littoral missions, including anti-submarine warfare and intelligence gathering operations. They are scheduled to replace older Los Angeles-class submarines, many of which have already been decommissioned. Virginia-class submarines will be acquired through 2043, and are expected to remain in service until at least 2060, with later submarines expected to operate into the 2070s.

On 14 March 2023, the trilateral Australian-British-American security pact known as AUKUS announced that the Royal Australian Navy would purchase three Virginia-class submarines as a stopgap measure between the retirement of their conventionally powered Collins-class submarines and the acquisition of the future SSN-AUKUS class submarines. If the SSN-AUKUS fell behind schedule, Australia would have the option of purchasing two additional Virginia-class submarines.

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