INTRODUCTION
The U.S. Navy commissioned USS Vermont (SSN 792), the 19th
Virginia-class attack submarine on April 18, 2020. The traditional public the commissioning ceremony was canceled due to the current situation, the U.S Navy
commissioned USS Vermont administratively and transitioned the ship to normal
operations. Acting Secretary of the Navy James E. McPherson said, “This
Virginia-class fast-attack submarine will continue the proud naval legacy of
the state of Vermont and the ships that have borne her name.
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| Virginia Class Submarine |
I am confident the
crew of this cutting edge platform will carry on this tradition and confront
the challenges of today’s complex world with professionalism and dedication
our nation depends on from warriors of the silent service.” Vice Adm. DarylCaudle, commander, Submarine Forces, said Vermont’s entry to service marks a new phase of American undersea warfare dominance for a global Submarine Force
that is ready to deter, defend and defeat threats to our nation, allies, and
rules-based international order.
In this article, Defence Talks analyzes, why the addition of USS Vermont will significantly improve the US Navy’s offensive
capability? Let us get into the details.
BACKGROUND
The Virginia class sometimes referred
to as SSN-774 class, is a class of nuclear-powered fast attack submarines in
service with the United States Navy. Virginia class is designed to replace
older Los Angeles-class submarines, many of which have already been
decommissioned. Virginia-class submarines will be acquired through 2043, and
are expected to remain in service till 2070. Virginia-class submarines are
designed for a broad spectrum of open-ocean and littoral missions. Their
primary purpose is to take out enemy's surface combatants and submarines and
the secondary task is to execute land-attack missions.
Virginia-class
submarines were the first US Navy warships designed with the help of
computer-aided design (CAD) and visualization technology CATIA. Each submarine
is projected to make 14–15 deployments during its 33-year service life. The
Virginia class was intended in part as a less expensive alternative to the
Seawolf-class submarines ($1.8 billion vs $2.8 billion), whose production run was
stopped after just three boats had been completed. To reduce costs, the
Virginia-class submarines use many "commercial off-the-shelf" (COTS) components,
especially in their computers and data networks.
In practice, they actually
cost less than $1.8 billion each, due to improvements in shipbuilding
technology. The Virginia class is built through an industrial arrangement
designed to maintain both GD Electric Boat and Newport News Shipbuilding, the
only two U.S. shipyards capable of building nuclear-powered submarines. Under
the present arrangement, the Newport News facility builds the stern,
habitability, machinery spaces, torpedo room, sail, and bow, while Electric
Boat builds the engine room and control room. The facilities alternate work on
the reactor plant as well as the final assembly, test, outfit, and delivery.
PROFILE
USS
Vermont has been build by shipbuilder General Dynamics Electric Boat in Groton.
It has a length of 115 m. To give viewers a perspective, its length is slightly
greater than that of a football field. It displaces around 7,900 tons. USS
Vermont like all other Block IV subs is acknowledged to be able to move to
depths of 240m (800 feet) but allegedly capable of going down to 490 m (1,600
feet). A single S9G reactor that produces around 30 MW powers Vermont.
The
reactor features improved corrosion resistance and reduced life-cycle costs. It
also has reduced size and weight enabling the submarine to pack more weapons
and sensors. The S9G reactor is designed to operate for 33 years without
refueling. So USS Vermont has a practically unlimited range, limited by only
food supplies and maintenance requirements. The reactor produces enough power
to propel Vermont over 25 knots that are 46 km/hr or 29 mph, though the actual
numbers may be significantly higher.
BLOCK IV VARIANT
Block IV consists of 10 submarines. On 28
April 2014, the most costly shipbuilding contract in history was awarded to
General Dynamics Electric Boat as the prime contractor. The deal for ten Block
IV Virginia-class attack submarines were worth $17.6 billion The main
improvement over the Block III is the reduction of major maintenance periods from
four to three, increasing each ship's total lifetime deployments by one. So,
the Block IV variant will be capable of a total of about 15 deployments. \SENSORS
The
Virginia class is the first to use photonic sensors instead of a traditional
periscope. The class is equipped with high-resolution cameras, along with
light-intensification and infrared sensors as well as an infrared laser
rangefinder. Block IV variant of Virginia-class is has redesigned elements and
feature several types of sonar arrays.
1. It incorporates a Large-Aperture Bow
(LAB) water-backed array, which replaces the traditional air-backed spherical
array. This is main sonar is one of the most powerful sonars mounted in any of
the submarines in the world.
2. Two high-frequency active sonars mounted in the
sail and bow. These supplements the main sonar array improving anti-submarine
warfare performance.
3. A fiber optic sonar array, consisting of 3 flat panels
is present on either side of the hull. 4. For coverage above and behind the
submarine, a High-frequency sonar is mounted on both sides of the submarine’s
sail. USS Vermont is also equipped with a low frequency towed sonar array and a
high frequency towed sonar array.
WEAPONS
USS Vermont will be deadly as it is packed
with different kinds of weapons to knock out varied targets. 1. Two
large-diameter Virginia Payload Tubes, each capable of launching 6 Tomahawk cruise
missiles. Tomahawk is a long-range, all-weather, cruise missile that is used
for land-based attacks. It has a long-range of 1,000 mi or 1,700 km, enabling
them to be launched from far off. 2. Four 533 mm torpedo tubes for the Mk-48
torpedo. There is a capacity to carry up to 26 Mk-48 torpedoes in the weapon's
chamber.
These torpedoes have a range in excess of 50 km or 31 miles and can be
used to take out enemy submarines and surface vessels. 3. Like all Virginia
class, Vermont can also lay different types of mines including the MK-60 CAPTOR
Encapsulated Torpedo mines. 4. An integral lock-out/lock-in chamber is
incorporated into the hull for special operations. The chamber can host a
mini-submarine, such as Northrop Grumman’s Advanced SEALS Delivery System that
can be used to transport special warfare forces such as Navy SEAL teams.
ANALYSIS
The
main adversaries of the U.S, Russia & China are going ahead with the
construction of several new subs. Russia plans to build a total of 8 Yasen M
class submarines which are intended to destroy US aircraft carriers. The latest
Kilo-class submarine of the Russian fleet is also a force to take note of. Though
Kilo-class is nothing new and has even around in some form or another since the
1980s, the newest 6 submarines of this class represent a significant evolution.
Russia is also building the Borei class which will be Russia’s new generation
of ballistic missile submarines — the cornerstone and most survivable part of
its nuclear arsenal. Chinese Navy has been given special attention and is
getting a good share of the military budget. It is developing a wide range of
conventional as well as nuclear powered submarines. It is clear that the U.S
Navy needs to be a step ahead and USS Vermont being a multi weapons platform
will significantly improve the offensive capability.
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