Unveiled at the Navy League's Sea-Air-Space show in Washington this week is a proposed new bow (that's the bit on the front, for all you non-sailors) for the Navy's Virginia-class boat (again, it's OK to call it that if it's a submarine. Do not try it for an Aegis cruiser unless you like being flogged.).
Nuclear submarines today are all about new missions and versatility. The new Virginia bow design has a different sonar, based on the technology developed for Trident and Seawolf classes, which does not require a bulky access trunk running back into the pressure hull. Removing that tunnel makes room for a large floodable bay that could contain modular missile launchers and other payloads - such as unmanned underwater vehicles or even unmanned air vehicles - that could be launched and retrieved by the submarine for special operations and other missions. The submarine could mix-and-match launch tubes for today's Tomahawk or tomorrow's prompt-strike ballistic missile. Another advantage: the tubes could be built and tested before installation, saving time and money in build. General Dynamics Electric Boat division is proposing the modification for the Virginia-class submarine that is due to be ordered in 2011 for 2015 commissioning.
Click here for a really nice cutaway poster of the SSN 774 Virginia class.
--Bill Sweetman
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