The Navy accepted delivery of the future Virginia-class USS Idaho (SSN-799) from General Dynamics (GD) Electric Boat this week, marking the second attack submarine delivery of the year.
The boat will now undergo a set of tests and trials before being commissioned into active service, expected in the spring of 2026.
SSN-799 is the 26th Virginia-class submarine, with the class being co-produced by GD and Huntington Ingalls Industries’s (HII) Newport News Shipbuilding as both companies build different sections of the boats and largely take turns on final assembly and delivery. This is the 14th Virginia-class submarine being delivered by Electric Boat and the eighth of 10 Block IV vessels.
Rep. Joe Courtney (D-Conn.) said this follows the November delivery of the future USS Massachusetts (SSN-798) from HII and is a sign the submarine industrial base production speed is improving thanks to congressional investments.
“This achievement is proof of the growing momentum in the Virginia program, following delivery of the USS Massachusetts (SSN 798) in November,” Courtney said in a statement on Monday. “Similarly, last year, two Virginia submarines were delivered – the USS New Jersey (796) and the USS Iowa (797). Looking ahead to 2026, the USS Arkansas (800) and the USS Utah (801), the 27th and 28th Virginia-class submarines will be performing final sea trials prior to joining the fleet.”
Courtney is a major supporter of submarines, with his district including Electric Boat’s shipyard.
“This two-per-year cadence, at the same time that the Columbia-class program is in full production, demonstrates that the $10 billion investment by Congress into the submarine industrial base starting in 2018, to grow the workforce, boost wages, supply chain, and facilities, is paying dividends,” Courtney added.
Courtney said the industry currently has a backlog of 12 Virginia-class submarines and three Columbia-class ballistic missile submarines.
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.
HII also announced this week Newport News Shipbuilding completed construction of the pressure hull of the Virginia-class submarine Oklahoma.
Exchange Monitor affiliate Defense Daily first published a version of this story.