America’s Got A New Submarine And It’s Amazing

Steel Hunters Of The Sea

Ever since submarines were created they have dominated the oceans as the apex machines. But it takes a lot of engineering to ensure that they have the capabilities to reach such crushing depths.

Military nations across the world are always racing to make the best and biggest machines. The U.S. is no exception but always makes sure they are at the forefront of technology.

Russian Submarines Are Of Great Concern To The Navy

Even though the Cold War has been over for a long time the U.S. and Russia have had a rivalry when it comes to military power. Russia has had a growing presence in the North Atlantic ocean.

With all of these attack submarines hiding just off the east coast of America their Navy is definitely feeling a little paranoid.

Russian-Made Submarines Are Advanced

Word has spread about Russia’s Alfa and Akula class submarines. They were way ahead of the competition back in the ’60s.

But even with such a high pedigree people have now caught wind of the Yasen class sub. It is said to be Russia’s newest design.

Weaponry And Stealth Are The Yasen’s Bread And Butter

The Yasen class sub is somehow fittest with the latest weapons as well as stealth systems.

It sounds like the Yasen class sub will be a jack-of-all-trades. But it’s not over yet, they have even newer designs that they are putting into development.

The 545 Laika Is Russia’s Newest Project

Even newer than the Yasen class sub is the 545 Laika which is their latest sub. Although it is far from finished.

If the Laika is truly going to be better than the Laika then the U.S. Navy should definitely be concerned.

The Laika’s Swiftness Will Be Undeniable

Rumors have been spread about the Laika class taking certain traits from both its predecessors, the Yasen class sub and the Yasen-M class sub.

Just two of these traits will be a high speed of 23 miles per hour when on the water and an incredible 32 miles per hour when beneath the surface.

Weapon Superiority Will Belong To The Laika

The Laika will have a huge range of weapons. Just to mention a few, it will have 8 BLS missile silos capable of firing Onix anti-ship missiles and KALIBR cruise missiles.

The sub will also come equipped with torpedo tubes, 10 of them! Despite all the firepower, that’s the least of the U.S.’s concerns.

The Laika Has A Secret Weapon

The Laika has been chosen by the Russian Navy to incorporate a new weapons system, the 3M22 Zircon Hypersonic cruise missile.

This missile will be capable of targetting U.S. land vehicles as well as any Navy vehicles that venture too close to the sub. The U.S. Navy won’t stand a chance with the missile traveling at Mach 9!

The Russian Navy Are A Powerful Adversary

Russia has one of the largest armadas to have ever prowled the ocean. Just to name a few vessels in the armada are normal and nuclear submarines and submarines with guided cruise missiles — which are subs with ballistic missiles capable of firing nuclear weapons from very far away.

But the U.S. has its own plan to counter Russia’s powerful subs.

The Navy Their Own Plan To Contest The Russians

It’s been established that the submarines from Russia are good at what they do: they are reliably lethal. The U.S. Navy has its own brand of submarines, and they’re known for intimidating their enemies.

But the U.S. hasn’t been sitting around doing nothing while the Russians develop their new sub.

The Laika Is Still Pretty Much At The Drawing Board

Construction on the 545 Laika will only begin in 2023, this bides the U.S. Navy time to try and outmatch the sub.

The U.S. can develop an even more powerful sub that will have Russia worried. This sub will be capable of rivaling the 545 Laika in all its fields, including pace, stealth, and weaponry.

It’s Time For A New Brand Of Navy Submarine

America’s Navy look toward the horizon with their new project, the next phase in submarine development: a sub capable of uncompromised speed and stealth.

The program is codenamed SNN(X), the sub will be able to operate at a much higher speed underwater while on dire stealth missions. And that’s not all the new sub will offer.

SNN(X) Class Subs Will Have Advanced Stealth Capabilities

When it comes to subs, the Los Angeles Class sub has been among the quietest nuclear-powered subs the U.S. has ever designed.

The U.S. plan on improving the Los Angeles low sound emission and applying it to the SNN(X) sub, it should end up being around 70 times quieter than before. That’s not even the best part of the submarine.

The U.S. Will Focus on Firepower

The SNN(X) class submarine will have one of the greatest weapon catalogs of any sub, including previous U.S. Navy and Russian Navy vessels. Weapons systems like Tomahawk cruise missiles are only a taste of what the SNN(X) has to offer.

New designs always have new ideas, but will the SNN(X) include any older designs that have proven to be sound?

The SNN(X) May Pair With The Seawolf Class Submarine

New rumors about the sub’s shape have been brought up. Allegedly, it will share a similar appearance to the Seawolf class submarine.

The SNN(X) will still have a higher speed, a bigger appearance, and more stealth capabilities. The Seawolf uses nuclear tech, so the SNN(X) will most likely have the same systems onboard.

It Can “Talk” To Other Navy Vessels

The new sub will come with the newest in communication technology. This means that the sub will be able to transmit vital info about competitor’s positions to other vessels in the Navy’s fleet, including other subs, ships, carriers, and even planes.

The SSN(X) will be capable of defending against a more advanced and recent enemy.

Normal Navy Vehicles Cannot Defend Against UUVs

UUVs are a new development from competitors Russia and China, UUV stands for unmanned undersea vehicles, and these threats can overwhelm and destroy U.S. Navy sea vehicles like carriers and subs.

These vehicles don’t stand a chance against UUVs if they don’t have countermeasures or defense. Can the U.S. plan and build the SSN(X) before it’s too late?

Building Will Only Begin In Years

Even with all the impressive information around the SNN(X) class sub, the development’s only been cleared to start as late as 2031.

Building on the SNN(X) will only start in 2034, 14 years from now! After which the military will start buying two of them every year. Why will development take so long?

Why The U.S. Is Biding Its Time

If the U.S. wait a while longer before starting development on their sub, then they can look at every available improvement on the project that exists now or will exist in the future.

This will give the subs an edge, having the most recent technology put into them when production finally starts. With all this development, how much will the SNN(X) cost when it’s ready?

The SNN(X) Will Cost A Fortune

Even with the SNN(X) still being very much in the pipeline. The U.S. military has approximated all the costs that will go into the new sub class.

The U.S. estimates the subs at around 5.5 billion dollars. With that much money going into only a single submarine, just how massive will this sub be?

The Sub Will Be Larger than the Sea Wolf Class

For the SSN(X) to embody the amount of technology and armaments needed to beat the competition, the amount of hull required would have to be significantly larger than the Sea Wolf class’s 9,100 tons or the Virginia class vessel’s 7,800 tons.

But what type of engines can fuel such a large ship?

The Engines Might Use Two Fuel Types

The power required to run a vessel of this size is enormous, so the new design could contain an engine design that is powered in diesel-electric as well as nuclear power.

But there’s a lot of planning still ahead.

The Program’s Priorities Include Various Studies

The SSN(X) program is still on the drawing board. So, for now, the U.S. Navy’s budget proposal suggests that its priorities are on conducting various studies.

Projects such as projected available industrial base capabilities, the cost of development, as well as the concepts of operations for the new submarine.

Stealth, Speed and Survivability Are Essential Components

The powers behind the program are going to look into conducting advanced technology development in key areas like stealth, speed and survivability as well to ensure their multi-billion-dollar investment doesn’t fail as soon as it leaves dry-dock.

But what will the SSN(X) provide that other sub don’t?

What Makes the SSN(X) Different?

Unlike other submarine classes like the Virginia Class, the SSN(X) class will have greater transit speed.

The transit speed will be particularly fast under stealth mode in all ocean environments so that it can provide more effective multi-mission capabilities.

They’re Getting Rid of the Old And Embracing The New

In the end, the U.S. Navy’s objective will be to look at some of the old ideas from previous submarine classes and get rid of anything that doesn’t work.

Then they will improve upon old technology while integrating new technology into the design of the SSN(X) class.