In Virginia-class SSNs, traditional periscopes have been supplanted by two photonics masts that host visible and infrared digital cameras atop telescoping arms. The class also has a large lock-in/lock-out chamber for divers. The class has special features to support SOF, including a reconfigurable torpedo room which can accommodate a large number of SOF and all their equipment for prolonged deployments and future off-board payloads. Virginia class SSNs have a fly-by-wire ship control system that provides improved shallow-water ship handling. The Virginia class has several innovations that significantly enhance its warfighting capabilities with an emphasis on littoral operations. Twelve VIRGINIA's have been commissioned to date and they will replace Los Angeles Class submarines as they retire. The Navy continues to build the next-generation attack submarine, the Virginia (SSN 774) class. This hull section provides for additional payloads to accommodate advanced technology used to carry out classified research and development and for enhanced warfighting capabilities. The third ship of the class, USS Jimmy Carter (SSN 23), has a 100-foot hull extension called the multi-mission platform. Though lacking Vertical Launch Systems, the Seawolf class has eight torpedo tubes and can hold up to 50 weapons in its torpedo room. Commissioned on July 19, 1997, USS Seawolf (SSN 21) is exceptionally quiet, fast, well-armed, and equipped with advanced sensors. The Navy also has three Seawolf-class submarines. Thirty Los Angeles-class SSNs are equipped with 12 Vertical Launch System tubes for firing Tomahawk cruise missiles. Los Angeles (SSN 688)-class submarines are the backbone of the submarine force with 40 now in commission. The Navy has three classes of SSNs in service. The nuclear-powered Seawolf has a GE PWR S6W reactor system, two turbines rated 52,000hp (38.8MW), a pumpjet propulsor, a single shaft and one secondary propulsion submerged motor.With the number of foreign diesel-electric/air-independent propulsion submarines increasing yearly, the United States Submarine Force relies on its technological superiority and the speed, endurance, mobility, stealth and payload afforded by nuclear power to retain its preeminence in the undersea battlespace. The Seawolf submarines were upgraded with the Lockheed Martin AN/BQQ-10(V4) sonar processing system under the acoustic-rapid commercial-off-the-shelf insertion (A-RCI) programme.īPS 16 radar, operating at I band, is fitted for navigation. The submarine’s sonar suite is the BQQ 5D with bow-mounted active / passive arrays and wide aperture passive flank arrays.Īlso fitted are TB-16 surveillance and TB-29 tactical towed arrays, which will be replaced by the TB-29A thin-line towed array being developed by Lockheed Martin and BQS 24 active sonar for close-range detection. CountermeasuresĬountermeasures include the Northrop Grumman WLY-1 torpedo decoy system and a GTE WLQ-4(V)1 electronic countermeasure (ECM) system. The range is 50km (active) and 38km (passive). It is capable of operating with or without wire guidance and uses both active and passive homing. The Gould mk48 ADCAP torpedoes combat both high-performance surface ships and fast deep-diving submarines. Seawolf has eight 660mm torpedo tubes for launching torpedoes and missiles. The range is 130km and the speed is high subsonic. Sub-harpoon uses active radar homing to deliver a 225kg warhead. The Seawolf Class also carries the Harpoon anti-ship missile from Boeing. The missile entered service with USN surface ships in September 2004. Block IV includes a two-way satellite link that allows reprogramming of the missile in flight and transmission of battle damage indication (BDI) imagery. The first underwater launch of the new Raytheon Tactical Tomahawk block IV missile took place in November 2002. The anti-ship Tomahawk missile is equipped with inertial guidance and an active radar and anti-radiation homing head. Block III improvements include an improved propulsion system and Navstar global positioning system (GPS) guidance capability. Tomahawk can be fitted with a nuclear warhead, although it is not normally carried. The land-attack Tomahawk has a range of 2,500km.Ī Tercom-aided inertial navigation system (TAINS) guides the missile towards the target, flying at subsonic speed at an altitude of 20m to 100m. The submarine is armed with both the land-attack and anti-ship version of the Tomahawk missile from Raytheon. Similarly to the improved Los Angeles Class, the Seawolf does not have any external weapons.
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