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| Science & Technology |
| Virginia A-sub success story |
| 2008-10-15 |
| There is one U.S. naval shipbuilding program, however, that is not just meeting but exceeding all its objectives in terms of time and cost. This is the nuclear-powered Virginia-class attack submarine. Although only four submarines have been built, the program already is delivering them eight months ahead of schedule while reducing costs by a half billion dollars per boat. The efforts to reduce costs have led to innovative design work that improved both the way the Virginia-class is being built and the capabilities of the finished product. This program has been so successful that, starting in fiscal year 2011, the U.S. Navy can afford to build two submarines every year. What makes this story even more amazing is that each new submarine is being built at two shipyards: Electric Boat in Groton, Conn., and Newport News in Virginia. The submarines are built in several large segments and then joined together. The teaming arrangement between Electric Boat and Newport News is working well and contributing to the cost reductions. The Virginia class is so well built that they are fully mission-capable upon leaving the shipyard, something unheard of with previous classes of attack submarines. The Virginia is the first new ship class delivered with post-Soviet requirements. It is designed to support Special Operations forces. The ship control system is fly-by-wire for better depth control and hovering capability. This allows improved handling in littoral waters. It has a more robust sensor suite than its predecessors and eight mast holes, two for the new photonic masts and six that are mission configurable. Even now, the Virginia-class carries weapons for a variety of missions. In the near future this could include unmanned undersea vehicles, anti-aircraft missiles and ballistic missile defense systems. The Virginia class is the right ship for an era of strategic uncertainty. Yes, it can address the unconventional warfare threat. But that is not the only potential challenge the United States may face in the decades to come. |
| Posted by:3dc |
| #2 ION REDDIT > UK UAV BOMB CAN STAY ALOFT FOR TEN YEARS??? + FOR THE LAST TIME, ITS JAPAN, NOT CHINA, WHICH CONTROLS US FOREX RESERVES. HMMMMM, LR PERM-STAT GLOBORBIT STRATEGIC UV BOMBERS for the USAF > Taken collectively wid this artic [+ CVN21-Class] again goes to show that HYBRIDIZATION + ROBOWAR is the wave of the future, ala the OWG "1000-Flags/Nations" GLOBAL NAVY = TASK FORCE concept. |
| Posted by: JosephMendiola 2008-10-15 23:29 |
| #1 Yep, one more sign the good ol' US of A is a "fading superpower." Heh... |
| Posted by: M. Murcek 2008-10-15 13:06 |