A U.S. Navy report says the construction of two Virginia-class attack submarines – SSN – and one Columbia-class ballistic missile submarine – SSBN – per year is achievable and needed to ensure U.S. maritime superiority, Scout Warrior reported Sunday.The service branch said in the July report to Congress the move to sustain the production of VCS at an annual rate of two vessels will lead to the acquisition of seven additional SSNs between fiscal year 2017 and FY 2030.
Lt. Lauren Chatmas, a spokeswoman for the Navy, told the publication that building two SSNs annually would help the military branch meet its objective of 66 SSN submarines as stated in the Force Structure Assessment released in December 2016.
“Producing these additional submarines will be a challenge to the submarine industrial base that can be solved only if the shipyards are given sufficient time to adjust facility plans, develop their workforces, and expand the vendor base,” Chatmas added.
General Dynamics’ Electric Boat subsidiary and Huntington Ingalls Industries’ Newport News Shipbuilding division build VCS under a cooperative arrangement with the Navy.
The Virginia-class attack submarine is equipped with torpedoes and Tomahawk missiles and is designed to carry out intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions as well as anti-surface warfare and covert mine warfare operations.
