USN claims SSN(X) will be the ‘ultimate apex predator’
Fast attack submarine USS Seawolf (SSN 21) is submerged after surfacing through the arctic ice. (Photo: USN.)
The USN wants to combine the best capabilities of its Seawolf, Virginia, and Columbia-class submarines as it looks to move ahead with its next-generation SSN(X) attack submarine.
The USN continues to shape its plans to field a new type of attack submarine that RADM Bill Houston, Director of the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations Undersea Warfare Division, has described as the ultimate maritime ‘apex predator’.
Speaking on 21 July during a virtual event ahead of the Navy League Sea-Air-Space conference on 1-4 August, Houston said that the SSN(X) design would be timed to enter production as work on Columbia-class ballistic missile submarines ramps down.
Houston added: ‘We are looking at the ultimate apex predator for the maritime domain; it is going to be faster, carry
Our news & analysis is now part of Defence Insight®
A Basic-level or higher Defence Insight subscription is now required to view this content.
More from Naval Warfare
-
![Lessons shaping the next phase of Arleigh Burke production post-Flight IIA]()
Lessons shaping the next phase of Arleigh Burke production post-Flight IIA
The accelerated delivery of the final Flight IIA destroyer, USS Patrick Gallagher, showcases the payoff of years of workforce investment and process reform at Bath Iron Works, with the lessons feeding into Flight III production.
-
![Ukraine war drives ‘minimum deployable capability’ doctrine in uncrewed systems development]()
Ukraine war drives ‘minimum deployable capability’ doctrine in uncrewed systems development
Ukraine’s battlefield has rewritten the rules of uncrewed systems development. For Syos Aerospace, real-time operator feedback, lean serial production and a system-of-systems philosophy are central to its operating model.
-
![Sealift shortfalls set to drive opportunities across NATO navies]()
Sealift shortfalls set to drive opportunities across NATO navies
A new Council on Geostrategy primer warns that NATO cannot defend its own supply lines. As the alliance faces a sealift and logistics escort deficit, a wave of unawarded procurement is beginning to take shape.
-
![AUKUS advance on UUVs contrasts with Virginia-class compromise]()
AUKUS advance on UUVs contrasts with Virginia-class compromise
The AUKUS partnership is accelerating uncrewed undersea capability while its submarine arm inches forward, and Australia’s decision to settle for three in-service Virginia-class boats raises questions about industrial risk, dependency and whether Pillar II may deliver meaningful capability long before Pillar I can.
