Intermarine and Leonardo unite for Italian Navy minehunter contract
Five modern minehunters will undertake sweeps of leading maritime areas of interest.
General Dynamics Electric Boat welder Allison Fasulo (left) helps boat sponsor Mary 'Mimi' Donnelly (right) to weld her initials onto a steel plate at the USS Tang's keel laying ceremony. (Photo: General Dynamics Electric Boat)
The USS Tang (SSN 805) is the third to be fitted with the Virginia Payload Module (VPM), four vertical payload tubes which extend the hull by 84ft, increasing length from 377ft to 460ft, and allows for improved weapons and deployment of UUVs.
VPMs increase Tomahawk strike capacity from 12 to 40 missiles per boat to maintain USN's undersea strike capacity with the expected retirement of the navy's four guided-missile submarines and provide future payload flexibility.
Construction started on the second Block V, USS Arizona (SSN 803), in December 2022 and the first Block V, USS Oklahoma (SSN 802), earlier this month. The keel for the third Block V, USN Barb (SSN 804), has yet to be laid down.
HII authenticates keel of Virginia-class attack submarine Oklahoma
The commissioning of USS Tang is likely to be in 2026-27.
The first of the previous boats with the name served in World War II, where it achieved one of the highest success rates in the USN, and the second served during the Vietnam War before joining the Turkish Navy.
The Virginia-class has a submerged displacement of 10,200t and measures 140m in length, with a beam of 10.36m and draft of 9.3m. Powered by a GE PWR S9G nuclear reactor and two 40,000hp (29.84MW) turbines, the submarines have an unlimited range and a maximum speed of at least 25kts.
Five modern minehunters will undertake sweeps of leading maritime areas of interest.
Maritime security concerns has led India to delay its pursuit of self-reliance in defence manufacturing and procurement as it makes urgent orders from international OEMs due to maritime security concerns.
The global defence giant chose a Spanish firm for its work on the Bonifaz-class frigate.
The first vessel in the Belgian-Dutch rMCM mine-clearing fleet, the Oostende, has begun its sea trials before officially entering service in 2025.
Textron’s latest order for Ship to Shore Connector (SSC), Landing Craft, Air Cushion (LCAC) follows on from a contract placed in August 2023 for five LCAC.
Japan is enhancing its naval capabilities with the construction of the 13DDX advanced destroyer and Aegis System Equipped Vessels (AESV), aiming to strengthen its air and missile defence amid increasing security threats, particularly in East Asia.