The Navy said this month it will reclassify 19 planned Virginia-class attack submarines equipped with the Virginia Payload Module (VPM) as guided missile submarines (SSGNs).
The Virginia-class submarine is expected 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.
The VPM-equipped submarines consist of Virginia Block V and VI boats, with the first submarine of this designation, the future USS Arizona (DDGN-803) estimated to be delivered in fiscal 2029 and subsequent boats delivered through fiscal 2038, according to the service’s Aug. press release.
The Navy said this “pivotal shift clearly differentiates these advanced platforms from traditional Virginia Class fast attack submarines.” The VPM is a new midbody section on Virginia-class boats that adds four large-diameter launch tubes that allows each submarine to carry 28 more Tomahawk cruise missiles.
The Navy previously said 20 VPM-equipped boats are needed to replace the capability of the four retiring Ohio-class former ballistic missile submarines converted to cruise missile platforms. Each Ohio-class SSGN fields up to 154 Tomahawk missiles.