Key Points and Summary – The new Block V Virginia-class submarines are set to be the most capable and flexible boats in the U.S. Navy’s fleet, designed to address a critical firepower gap.
-The centerpiece is the Virginia Payload Module (VPM), a new 83-foot hull section that triples the submarine’s Tomahawk cruise missile capacity from 12 to 40.
-This massive increase is essential to mitigate the looming retirement of the four powerful Ohio-class guided-missile submarines.
-Crucially, the VPM also future-proofs the fleet, as it is designed to accommodate future hypersonic weapons and large unmanned undersea vehicles.
The U.S. Navy Is Losing 60% of Its Undersea Firepower. The Virginia-Class Block V Sub Is the Answer
The Virginia-class submarines in service with the United States Navy are designed for flexibility, capable of conducting intelligence-gathering, anti-submarine, and anti-ship warfare, as well as land attack missions.
And thanks to their nuclear propulsion, their endurance is limited only by crew sustenance requirements, and can therefore be out at sea for very long stretches of time.
The need for this new class of submarines began in 2000. It was prompted by the end of the Cold War and the high cost of the Seawolf-class of submarines that preceded the Virginias, which cost about $1 billion more per hull than the Virginias.
During a keel-laying ceremony for the USS Arizona, the first of the Block V Virginia-class submarines, Rear Admiral Jonathan Rucker, of the Program Executive Office for Attack Submarines, touted the new Block within the class, saying that “the boats in this class are the most advanced attack submarines ever designed. Their stealth, firepower, and maneuverability are superior to every other attack submarine force in the world. Additionally, Arizona will be the first of the Virginia-class equipped with the Virginia Payload Module, enabling the submarine to deliver an even wider variety of capabilities.”
The news release explained simply that the Virginia Payload Modules “will comprise four large-diameter, vertical payload tubes in a new hull section inserted into the existing Virginia-class submarine design. The tubes enable the submarine to deliver a variety of capabilities, including weapons, unmanned undersea vehicles, and other undersea payloads.”
Additional Block V information explains more. “The Virginia Payload Module (VPM) is a cost-effective way to preserve the US critical undersea strike capacity. Nuclear-powered attack submarines (SSNs) and guided missile submarines (SSGNs) provide this capability using Tomahawk cruise missiles,” the Submarine Industrial Base Council explains.
“When the last SSGN retires in 2028,” they add, “the US will lose 60 percent of its undersea strike capacity. Adding VPM to 20 planned future Virginia class submarines will mitigate this drop in capacity, improve payload distribution across the force, and complicate adversary planning—all at a much lower cost than building replacement SSGNs.”
Block V Virginia-class Submarines
To date, Block V of the Virginia-class will be the most heavily armed, thanks to the extensive modifications of the Virginia Payload Module. They could almost be described as a subclass within the Virginia-class itself.
The Block Vs are 83 feet longer, thanks to the addition of an extra hull section, the VPM. Each of the four VPM tubes can carry seven Tomahawk cruise missiles, expanding the total Tomahawk loadout to 40 for the Block Vs, compared to 12 in the previous Virginia-class blocks.
The addition of the Virginia Payload Modules is two-fold. Initially, the additional Tomahawk firepower incorporated into the Block Vs will help to partially offset the firepower lost when the US Navy retires the four Ohio-class submarines, modified in the early 2000s, to carry 154 Tomahawk land-attack cruise missiles each, loaded in Multiple-All-Up-Round Canisters (MACs) in up to 22 missile tubes.
However, aside from partially offsetting a loss in firepower, the Block V Virginia-class submarines will also enable the future deployment of hypersonic weapons, unmanned undersea vehicles, or other advanced payloads, making the Block V particularly modular. But the Block Vs will feature other modifications too.
An advanced version of the Navy’s Large Vertical Array sonar will be incorporated onto the Block V Virginias, which will boost tracking and detection of underwater and surface vessels, and additional sonar-dampening measures will be mated to the Block.
Overall, the additional internal volume will firstly be used for housing the aforementioned additional weaponry, but also allow for more flexibility during long deployments, given that some internal space can be dedicated to additional food stores, or special operations equipment, rather than Tomahawk missiles if necessary.
AUKUS Partnership
Under the terms of the trilateral AUKUS submarine deal involving the United States, Australia, and the United Kingdom, the Royal Australian Navy is slated to purchase some Virginia-class submarines. These submarines, ostensibly Block IV variants, will be sold to the RAN between 2032 and 2035.
As Defense News reported, “the first Block IV boat was commissioned in 2020, and the final will likely commission around 2026, meaning Australia would receive submarines with between six and 15 years’ worth of use. Virginia-class subs are designed to have 33 years of service life.”
What Happens Next?
The Block V Virginia submarines are both unique and flexible, transforming them from just attack submarines into versatile platforms that can take on guided missile roles, as well as reconnaissance and surveillance, and gather additional information.
Given Virginia Payload Module-equipped Block V’s flexibility for future scenarios—deploying large unmanned underwater vehicles, special operations forces, underwater sensors, or potentially even hypersonic weapons—their future application is immense.
About the Author: Caleb Larson
Caleb Larson is an American multiformat journalist based in Berlin, Germany. His work covers the intersection of conflict and society, focusing on American foreign policy and European security. He has reported from Germany, Russia, and the United States. Most recently, he covered the war in Ukraine, reporting extensively on the war’s shifting battle lines from Donbas and writing on the war’s civilian and humanitarian toll. Previously, he worked as a Defense Reporter for POLITICO Europe. You can follow his latest work on X.
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