Morning Briefing - October 16, 2025
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October 15, 2025

HII completed sea trials of Virginia-class sub, uses torpedo tube for another test

By ExchangeMonitor

Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) announced Oct. 7 that its Newport News Shipbuilding (NNS) division completed initial sea trials for the Virginia-class attack submarine Massachusetts (SSN 798).

The tests, done by the Navy and NNS, included submerging the submarine for its first time and conducting high-speed maneuvers, both submerged underwater and on the surface. The tests took place over several days at sea, the company press release said, and the testing program will continue.

“Our entire team at Newport News Shipbuilding understands the importance of delivering capability to our fleet,” NNS President Kari Wilkinson said in the release. “Proving capabilities through this first sea trial for Massachusetts is an important step in demonstrating this and we are honored to support the mission.”

HII also announced last week its REMUS 620 unmanned underwater vehicle (UUV) successfully completed its first recovery via a submarine torpedo tube test fixture. The test, conducted by HII and the Navy as well as the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, used a Virginia-class submarine torpedo tube and shutterway test fixture at Seneca Lake, N.Y., rather than a real submarine at this stage.

The company called these tests a major step towards launching and recovering autonomous UUVs from submarine torpedo tubes. Specifically, these tests confirmed REMUS 62o’s ability to conduct complex autonomous navigational and communication protocols in order to safely dock with a shock and fire enclosure capsule, itself loaded into a submerged Virginia-class submarine fixture.

The Virginia-class submarine is planned to deploy the nuclear-armed, sea-launched cruise missile and include a variant of the W80-4 warhead, something the National Nuclear Security Administration is already working on.