The Virginia Class Submarine is the newest and the most technologically advanced fast-attack submarine, not only in the United States, but also the world. The Virginia Class is the youngest SSN submarine in the United States Navy, with the first SSN-774 Class being built in the early 2000’s and being commissioned in October 2004 (Naval Technology). The Virginia Class Submarine was designed to replace the costly Seawolf Class Submarine, which only three SSN-22 were commissioned (The US Navy). Although the Seawolf is thought to be better than the Virginia Class (The US Navy), the Virginia class is the best solution to the Navy’s needs at the lowest cost. Every vessel that the United States has ever created all have a common purpose, to complete …show more content…
With an operating force of 132, 117 enlisted and fifteen officers, the Virginia Class’ crew is small in comparison to nuclear ballistic missile submarines (SSBN), 155 crew members (The US Navy). The Virginia Class Submarine uses one nuclear reactor as its energy supply aboard the submarine (The US Navy). The nuclear reactor provides non stop power to the internal systems of the submarine, but also to the propeller, which moves the Virginia Class around twenty-five knots or more (The US Navy). Due to the nuclear propulsion system, the Virginia Class is not limited by fuel, but food. The average food supply of submarines is ninety …show more content…
These systems include,“bow-mounted active and passive array, wide aperture passive array on flank, high-frequency active arrays on keel and fin, TB-16 towed array fatline and the Lockheed Martin TB-29A thinline towed array, with the AN/BQQ-10(V4) sonar processing system. A Sperry Marine AN/BPS-16(V)4 navigation radar, operating at I-band, is fitted” (Naval Technology). The Virginia Class also has “two Kollmorgen AN/BVS-1 photonics masts” (Naval Technology), in place of traditional periscopes. The new mast also includes “sensors mounted on the non-hull-penetrating photonic mast include LLTV (low-light TV), thermal imager and laser rangefinder” (Naval Technology). The 774 Class also has “two 6m autonomous unmanned underwater vehicles, an 18m robotic recovery arm and support electronics” (Naval Technology). The Virginia Class also has an ASW sonar system that is mounted on the submarine’s hull (Naval