The Virginia-class submarine USS Montana (SSN 794) was launched on 12 September in a ceremony at Newport News Shipbuilding, a division of Huntington Ingalls Industries.
Construction of Montana began April 2015, as the third of ten Block IV Virginia-class submarines to be built for the USN.
The new submarines will replace older Los Angeles-class boats as the latter are withdrawn from service.
Compared with previous Virginia-class boats, Block IV reduces the total cost of ownership for the USN by making small-scale design changes to increase the component-level lifecycle of the submarine, thereby increasing availability between maintenance.
Block IV submarines are scheduled to undergo three major maintenance overhauls and conduct 15 deployments during their lifetime, compared to four overhauls and 14 deployments with Blocks 1 to III.
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Virginia Class Attack Submarine (SSN 792-SSN 811)
The US multinational company is currently assembling 300 Rolling Airframe Missile rounds per year, with plans to reach 800 units annually after significant investment and modernisation of its facilities.
RTX’s solution for DARPA’s Pulling Guard programme is intended to provide advanced maritime defence technologies to protect platforms against uncrewed surface vehicles and other threats.
The Spanish Navy’s Alvaro de Bazan-class of air defence frigates will receive the latest Aegis Weapon System technology among other modernisations to extend the service life to 2045.
Shipbuilders are saying the programme is going ahead on time as the government estimates 7.7 million tonnes of steel are needed for 2026 infrastructure projects.
In an exclusive interview with Shephard, Raytheon’s VP of Shipboard Missiles disclosed what improvements the company plans to offer for the Sea Sparrow NSV.
Delays in the construction of the Polar Security Cutter – the future substitute for the Polar Star – are likely to prolong the ageing icebreaker’s service time even more, putting the USCG in a risky position.
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