SSN(X): The U.S. Navy's New Nuclear Attack Submarine Could Cost $8 Billion Each
The U.S. Navy is developing the next-generation SSN(X) attack submarine, expected to feature advanced technology in weapons and sensors, nuclear propulsion, and enhanced operational capabilities to counter threats from near-peer adversaries.
Summary: Attack submarines, essential for underwater warfare, differ from ballistic missile submarines by targeting enemy warships and supply vessels.
-The U.S. Navy, possessing the world's largest and most capable submarine fleet, currently operates three attack submarine classes: Seawolf, Los Angeles, and Virginia.
-The Virginia class is the most modern, with ongoing construction.
-The Navy is also developing the next-generation SSN(X) attack submarine, expected to feature advanced technology in weapons and sensors, nuclear propulsion, and enhanced operational capabilities to counter threats from near-peer adversaries.
-With an estimated cost of $6.7 billion to $8 billion per unit, the SSN(X) aims for operational capability in the 2040s.
Next-Gen SSN(X): The Future of U.S. Navy Attack Submarines
Attack submarines are the masters of underwater warfare.
While ballistic missile submarines focus on delivering long-range munitions on high-value land targets, attack submarines roam the dark seas and attack enemy warships and supply vessels.
The U.S. Navy has the largest and most capable submarine fleet in the world. When it comes to attack submarines, it has three classes in service: the Seawolf, Los Angeles, and Virginia.
The Virginia class is the most modern, with several ships still under construction. But even though its latest class of attack submarines is still being built, the Navy is already developing the next generation.
The SSN(X), Explained
Through the SSN(X), or next-generation attack submarine program, the Navy is looking to produce its next attack submarine.
The SSN(X) is expected to incorporate the latest available technology in both weapons and sensors. In terms of weapons, the SSN(X) is expected to carry a combination of heavy torpedoes, cruise missiles, mines, and underwater drones.
The future attack submarine will be powered by a nuclear reactor like the rest of the Navy’s submarine force, meaning it will have a limitless operational range. It will only be limited by the amount of provisions it can carry.
According to the Navy, the SSN(X) will respond to growing threats posed by near-peer adversaries like China and Russia, which seek to challenge America’s supremacy underwater.
“[The SSN(X)] will provide greater speed, increased horizontal payload capacity, improved acoustic superiority and non-acoustic signatures, and higher operational availability. SSN(X) will conduct full spectrum undersea warfare and be able to coordinate with a larger contingent of off-hull vehicles, sensors, and friendly forces,” the Navy stated in its most recent budget request.
In the SSN(X), the Navy is looking to combine the speed and heavy armaments of the Seawolf class with the stealthiness and improved sensors of the Virginia class and the operational availability and performance of the Columbia-class ballistic missile submarine.
Alongside the Columbia class, the SSN(X) is expected to provide the backbone of America’s Navy well into the 21st century.
Thus far, the Navy has spent approximately $900 million in research and development for the SSN(X) and is expected to spend vastly more in the upcoming years.
The Navy expects to have an operational capability in the 2040s. Although it might sound strange to start developing a weapons system 20 years before it finally shows up in the field, that is standard practice. For example, the Navy began working on the Virginia-class attack submarine in the late 1990s. Similarly, the Air Force began working on the F-35 Lightning II stealth fighter jet in the 1990s.
When it comes to the overall cost of the SSN(X), the Congressional Research Service estimates that each attack submarine of the class will cost between $6.7 billion and $8 billion, which is quite high.
About the Author:
Stavros Atlamazoglou is a seasoned defense journalist specializing in special operations and a Hellenic Army veteran (national service with the 575th Marine Battalion and Army HQ). He holds a BA from the Johns Hopkins University and an MA from the Johns Hopkins’ School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS). His work has been featured in Business Insider, Sandboxx, and SOFREP.
All images are from Creative Commons.
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