Submarines: Virginia's Big Twins

Archives

November 18, 2007: The next revision (Block III) of the U.S. Virginia SSN (nuclear attack submarine) will contain an interesting modification. The twelve cruise missiles SSNs normally carried in individual compartments, will instead be carried in two "silos" that are about the same size as those used to carry sea-launched ballistic missiles in SSBN (ballistic missile nuclear subs). The technology for these two new silos in the Block III boats (which will first appear in the 11th ship of the class, in 2015) comes from that used in Ohio class SSGNs (cruise missile nuclear submarines). In the Ohios, each of the ballistic missile silos was converted to hold, and launch, seven Tomahawk cruise missiles. The Virginia silos will be a little smaller, and hold six cruise missiles each.

 

X

ad

Help Keep Us From Drying Up

We need your help! Our subscription base has slowly been dwindling.

Each month we count on your contribute. You can support us in the following ways:

  1. Make sure you spread the word about us. Two ways to do that are to like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.
  2. Subscribe to our daily newsletter. We’ll send the news to your email box, and you don’t have to come to the site unless you want to read columns or see photos.
  3. You can contribute to the health of StrategyPage.
Subscribe   contribute   Close