NSSN Virginia-class - current status and future

The Akula submarine has been constantly modified , as per its chief designer no two Akula were similar and these were constantly updated as new boats were launched , taking into account the technology which was available.

The Gepard was classified as Akula-3 and was a 3 plus Gen type ,approaching close to the characteristic of 4th gen sub as per its designer.

Both the Akula and Oscar will start getting upgrade from 2010 , and we should see further improvement in quietening which is a common practice observed during major upgrade.
 
Austin said:
The Akula submarine has been constantly modified , as per its chief designer no two Akula were similar and these were constantly updated as new boats were launched , taking into account the technology which was available.

The Gepard was classified as Akula-3 and was a 3 plus Gen type ,approaching close to the characteristic of 4th gen sub as per its designer.

Both the Akula and Oscar will start getting upgrade from 2010 , and we should see further improvement in quietening which is a common practice observed during major upgrade.
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Keep in mind that Akula class was designed in the 1980s. Gepard herself sat on the ways for years after 1991 because there was no money to finish her. Although her larger sail and smaller, streamlined towed array may indicate some modifications, since she was already building there are certain things you simply can't do at such a late state. Except for the ones funded by India, I wonder if there will be any more Type 971s beyond Nerpa. I would think more effort would go into Graney and her sisters (assuming the money is really there to build one SSN per year).
 
Gents, topic is for "NSSN Virginia-class - current status and future"
If you are to discuss future of Russian submarine force, feel free to start a new thread
 
flateric said:
Gents, topic is for "NSSN Virginia-class - current status and future"
If you are to discuss future of Russian submarine force, feel free to start a new thread
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Touche
 
F-14D said:
... reportedly the Virginias have turned out to be significantly faster than expected...
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Maybe that explains why the things keep peeling themselves. :p

As far as trends for the future go, what about going for a simpler, more-dedicated SSN platform? After all, it's starting to look like we might be confronting the PLAN on a more global basis pretty soon. Suppose we took out the VLS, SEAL lockout trunk, and other elements mainly related to land attack? What metrics could we improve whilst also reducing costs? I'm not saying we have to go completely backwards, but I once poked around the internet to see which class the bubbheads themselves liked best. Surprisingly, it turned out that the old Sturgeons (they call the things "637s") were almost the universal favorite :eek:, being considered quieter, deeper, easier to control/maneuver, and more-habitable than later types (exepting the Seawolfs of course). http://bubbleheads.blogspot.com/2011/04/favorite-submarine-class.html
 
http://www.dtic.mil/dtic/tr/fulltext/u2/a454589.pdf
 
Given that that report is 7 years old I don't know how applicable it would be today the way they're screwing around with it's build schedule now.
 
sferrin said:
Given that that report is 7 years old I don't know how applicable it would be today the way they're screwing around with it's build schedule now.
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This is especially frustrating since this is that rare military program that is on schedule and under cost.
 
F-14D said:
sferrin said:
Given that that report is 7 years old I don't know how applicable it would be today the way they're screwing around with it's build schedule now.
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This is especially frustrating since this is that rare military program that is on schedule and under cost.
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Government moto: "If it ain't broke fix it 'til it is."
 
http://www.defensenews.com/article/20140428/DEFREG02/304280024/US-Navy-Orders-10-New-Subs-Record-17-6B
 
http://www.forbes.com/sites/lorenthompson/2014/05/06/five-reasons-virginia-class-subs-are-the-face-of-future-warfare/
 
bobbymike said:
http://www.forbes.com/sites/lorenthompson/2014/05/06/five-reasons-virginia-class-subs-are-the-face-of-future-warfare/
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Oh, brother...

The article continues the current fad of doing numbered lists of things: Ten worst celebrity nose jobs, Seven reasons Ben Affleck will suck as Batman, Eleven ways to drive him wild in bed...

But the title itself is nuts. "The face of future warfare?" Yeah, because when you have to suppress insurgents, or show the flag, or counter pirates, or search for contraband, or conduct search and rescue, or deliver humanitarian supplies, or enforce a no-fly zone, or enforce boundary disputes, the best way to do that is with a torpedo or a TLAM. (Fun fact: torpedoes have been fired against adversary vessels twice in the last 32 years. The General Belgrano was one, and you can guess at the other.)

And to top it all off, after the initial disclaimer that his think tank gets funding from the company that builds the subs, he ends by saying that the Navy needs to increase the production rate by 50% beyond what it's already planning.
 
http://defensetech.org/2014/10/24/navy-makes-submarines-quieter-more-stealthy/
 
blackstar said:
bobbymike said:
http://www.forbes.com/sites/lorenthompson/2014/05/06/five-reasons-virginia-class-subs-are-the-face-of-future-warfare/
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Oh, brother...

The article continues the current fad of doing numbered lists of things: Ten worst celebrity nose jobs, Seven reasons Ben Affleck will suck as Batman, Eleven ways to drive him wild in bed...

But the title itself is nuts. "The face of future warfare?" Yeah, because when you have to suppress insurgents, or show the flag, or counter pirates, or search for contraband, or conduct search and rescue, or deliver humanitarian supplies, or enforce a no-fly zone, or enforce boundary disputes, the best way to do that is with a torpedo or a TLAM. (Fun fact: torpedoes have been fired against adversary vessels twice in the last 32 years. The General Belgrano was one, and you can guess at the other.)

And to top it all off, after the initial disclaimer that his think tank gets funding from the company that builds the subs, he ends by saying that the Navy needs to increase the production rate by 50% beyond what it's already planning.
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There are a lot of L.A.'s to replace. And this will probably come as a shock but blowing up tents isn't the only thing the USN needs to be kitted for.
 
http://breakingdefense.com/2015/02/sub-builders-face-triple-threat-ohio-virginia-vpm/
 
NN and GD were able to turn out the -688s and Ohios at much higher rates than we're currently building subs.
 
But how many skilled shipfitters and welders did they have then? How many do they have now?

You can't just go out and hire a lot more welders who can work with HY-100 steel (for example); there just isn't a huge surplus of such people to be had. So you have to train new ones, which takes time.
 
TomS said:
But how many skilled shipfitters and welders did they have then? How many do they have now?

You can't just go out and hire a lot more welders who can work with HY-100 steel (for example); there just isn't a huge surplus of such people to be had. So you have to train new ones, which takes time.
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Oh believe me, I know. The whole situation (across the entire industrial base) is a travesty.
 
TomS said:
But how many skilled shipfitters and welders did they have then? How many do they have now?

You can't just go out and hire a lot more welders who can work with HY-100 steel (for example); there just isn't a huge surplus of such people to be had. So you have to train new ones, which takes time.
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All true. Something else to consider is that new civil nuclear construction has been siphoning off welding trainees
(including a young relative of mine) and veterans for some time; the ability to charge current rate payers for
new plants enables the utilities and their contractors to seriously outcompete the shipyards in terms of pay + benefits.
 
http://www.military.com/daily-news/2015/04/18/us-navy-pursues-high-tech-submarine-upgrades.html?ESRC-todayinmil.sm
 
http://www.defensenews.com/videos/defense-news/2015/05/17/27493411/

Virginia construction update.

Also question - when the camera is on the Defense News interviewer Vago Muradian look over his left shoulder at the desk model. Does this have a more 'blocky' shape behind the sail or am I imagining it?
 
More interested in the wall of challenge coins behind the guy being reviewed. :eek:
 
http://foxtrotalpha.jalopnik.com/uss-john-warner-shows-off-jumbo-missile-tube-during-com-1722122511
 
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http://csbaonline.org/publications/2015/10/undersea-warfare-game-changers/
 
.

The photos are interesting as it looks like she has a variation on a shrouded propellor rather than a pump-jet (which I thought she was meant to have). Of course it could just be a dummy before the real thing is fitted later.
 
Decision on whether all or just some of the Block V boats get the Virginia Payload Module coming in December.
“Right now the plan of record is to build one VPM a year starting in [Fiscal Year 2019] through the shipbuilding plan. There is now kind of support for the possibility of, after we start building Virginia VPM … to make all of the Virginias VPM-Virginias. I think that makes sense from a shipbuilding point of view, and from a capability for the Navy” point of view, he said.
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To prepare for a 2024 AoA on the Virginia class follow-on, the Navy has set up 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...
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http://www.realcleardefense.com/articles/2015/11/10/the_us_navy_will_need_a_larger_submarine_force_108665.html
 
Navy will host industry day in January for an anti-torpedo defense system

The Navy will host an industry day conference in January for an anti-torpedo defense system that is used aboard submarines, according to the service.
 
http://www.dodbuzz.com/2016/02/29/navy-weighs-building-more-virginia-class-subs/?ESRC=dodbuzz.sm
 
http://www.navytimes.com/story/military/2016/03/05/uss-washington-christened-newport-news/81366974/
 
http://breakingdefense.com/2016/03/not-enough-subs-so-buy-more-rep-forbes/
 
Submarine Technology Symposium - Classified man I would love to go ;D

http://www.jhuapl.edu/sts/Default.aspx

Agenda

http://www.jhuapl.edu/sts/STS2016_Agenda_20160315.pdf

IMHO mot interesting sessions:

Advanced Weapons Enhanced by Submarine UAS against Mobile Targets (AWESUM) Joint Capability Technology Demonstration (JCTD) Operational Demonstration, Final Results, and Next Steps

Integrating Surface Ship Weapons for Submarine Launch

So would this one mean possible SM-6 land attack/Anti-ship missiles on SSNs?
 

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