Key Points and Summary – The U.S. Navy’s next-generation attack submarine program, SSN(X), has been delayed again, with procurement pushed back five years to the early 2040s.
-This setback, driven by budget constraints and the need to prioritize other delayed shipbuilding programs like the Columbia-class, risks weakening the submarine industrial base and potentially jeopardizing U.S. undersea superiority.
Port bow view showing US Navy (USN) Sailors manning a topside watch aboard the Los Angeles Class Attack Submarine USS NEWPORT NEWS (SSN 750), as the ship departs the harbor at Souda Bay, Crete, Greece following a port visit.
-The SSN(X), envisioned as a revolutionary “Apex Predator,” is designed to be significantly faster, stealthier, and more heavily armed than current submarines, combining the best traits of the Seawolf, Virginia, and Columbia classes for high-end conflict against peer adversaries.
The Navy’s SSN(X) Attack Submarine Is Delayed
The U.S. Navy’s SSN(X) next-generation attack submarine program is delayed, with the first procurement now pushed back to the early 2040s from a previous target of 2035.
The primary reasons for the delay are budget constraints and the need to manage resources across multiple shipbuilding programs, most of which are overdue and over budget.
This creates a long gap in submarine production, which could affect the industrial base and potentially impact the Navy’s ability to maintain undersea superiority in the near future against Russian or Chinese aggression.
Delays Abound
The program was initially expected to begin procurement in 2031.
This was pushed to 2035 due to cost and budget issues. The start of construction was again delayed to the early 2040s during the fiscal 2025 budget process.
During the fiscal 2025 budget process, the planned procurement of the first SSN(X) was delayed by five years — from fiscal year 2035 to 2040 — “due…to limitations on the Navy’s total budget,” according to a Congressional Research Service report.
The main cause is limitations on the Navy’s total budget, forcing it to manage resources across its various programs, including the Columbia-class submarines and Virginia-class production extensions.
Virginia-class attack submarine USS North Carolina (SSN 777) sails in formation, off the coast of Hawaii during Exercise Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) 2024, July 22. Twenty-nine nations, 40 surface ships, three submarines, 14 national land forces, more than 150 aircraft and 25,000 personnel are participating in RIMPAC in and around the Hawaiian Islands, June 27 to Aug. 1. The world’s largest international maritime exercise, RIMPAC provides a unique training opportunity while fostering and sustaining cooperative relationships among participants critical to ensuring the safety of sea lanes and security on the world’s oceans. RIMPAC 2024 is the 29th exercise in the series that began in 1971. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class John Bellino)
This delay creates a significant gap between the Columbia-class and the SSN(X), which could harm the submarine industrial base, impacting supply chains, skilled labor, and future production capacity.
The Congressional Research Service (CRS) report also notes concerns about the effect on U.S. undersea superiority and warfighting capabilities.
An artist rendering of the future U.S. Navy Columbia-class ballistic missile submarines. The 12 submarines of the Columbia-class will replace the Ohio-class submarines which are reaching their maximum extended service life. It is planned that the construction of USS Columbia (SSBN-826) will begin in in fiscal year 2021, with delivery in fiscal year 2028, and being on patrol in 2031.
Meet The SSN(X) Attack Submarine:
The SSN(X) is the U.S. Navy’s next-generation attack submarine, a revolutionary platform designed to ensure American undersea dominance against growing threats from China and Russia.
The service’s next-generation SSN(X) submarine is expected to host all the latest technologies when it is finally produced. The submarine is to be the successor to the Seawolf class, a significant blunder by the Pentagon, which was canceled after the Cold War, as well as to the Virginia-class submarines.
The Navy has stated that the “SSN(X) will be designed to counter the growing threat posed by near-peer adversary competition for undersea supremacy. It will provide greater speed, increased horizontal payload capacity, improved acoustic superiority, and higher operational availability.”
Additionally, the “Apex Predator” will be able to conduct “full spectrum undersea warfare” while retaining multi-mission capabilities in denied waters.
The SSN(X) submarine is being engineered to be radically quiet, significantly faster, and to carry a larger and more diverse weapons payload than any previous U.S. attack sub.
Streamlining The Mission…For Now
The current Virginia-class submarines are extremely versatile performers capable of conducting a wide range of operations, including special operations and intelligence gathering in shallow waters.
The “SSN(X) Apex Predator” next-generation nuclear-powered attack submarine is designed to be the ultimate undersea hunter. The SSN(X) will combine the speed and payload of the Seawolf-class, the acoustics and sensors of the Virginia-class, and the operational availability of the Columbia-class submarines.
It is intended to counter near-peer adversaries by conducting full-spectrum undersea warfare, including anti-submarine and anti-surface warfare, and by coordinating with unmanned systems.
Both Russia and China are rapidly developing quieter submarines, more sophisticated anti-submarine warfare (ASW) capabilities, and advanced surveillance systems, all of which challenge the U.S. Navy’s undersea superiority.
Reading the tea leaves, it seems, by the Navy’s wording, that the SSN(X) will concentrate on high-end conflict and not some of the other important missions that the Virginia class has been tasked with. This could leave a gap in capabilities, unless it were an unintended omission.
“Revolutionary, Not Evolutionary,” Says Admiral:
Rear Adm. Thomas Ishee, director of undersea warfare in the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, believes that the SSN(X) will be an incredible submarine.
The NSSN “will have improved mobility — think speed and stealth, both not ‘or,’” Ishee said. “It will have improved lethality — think magazine size and payload integration. It will have some levels of artificial intelligence to increase the warfighter decision space. It will have improved survivability, able to take a punch and still carry out the mission.”
“Since the end of the Cold War we have been making evolutionary changes to our SSNs,” he said. “The theme for SSNX is to look at revolutionary changes, so we are accelerating in the direction of a new class of fast-attack submarine.”
Quieter Propulsion System
As Admiral Ishee comments suggest, it isn’t either a speed or stealth proposition, and the SSN(X) is sure to have both.
The SSN(X) is putting its emphasis on stealth. As submarine detection technologies improve, maintaining the sub’s stealth becomes increasingly difficult. The SSN(X) is expected to feature a radically quiet propulsion system, possibly building on or surpassing the pump-jet propulsion used in the Virginia-class.
Its hull design will likely incorporate advanced materials and anechoic coatings that minimize sonar reflections and absorb sound, making it extremely difficult to detect. These features are essential for operating undetected in areas where adversaries deploy dense sensor networks and unmanned surveillance systems.
SSN(X) Firepower
The SSN(X) is designed to be the ultimate “apex predator” through its advanced firepower, speed, and stealth. Its firepower will be significant, with a larger payload capacity and a higher salvo rate than previous attack submarines.
This advanced capability is achieved by combining the best features of past submarine classes: the Seawolf’s speed and payload, the Virginia’s acoustic superiority and sensors, and the Columbia’s operational availability. The SSN(X) will conduct full-spectrum undersea warfare, including anti-submarine and anti-surface operations, strike missions, and intelligence gathering.
It will be equipped with torpedoes for anti-submarine and anti-surface warfare, as well as vertical launch systems capable of deploying cruise missiles for land-attack and anti-ship missions.
The SSN(X) will be able to act as a “mothership” for multiple unmanned vehicles and other sensors, deploying unmanned underwater vehicles (UUVs) and naval mines to expand its operational versatility. This broad arsenal will allow the submarine to engage a wide range of targets and perform multiple mission types without needing to return to port for reconfiguration.
About the Author: Steve Balestrieri
Steve Balestrieri is a National Security Columnist. He served as a US Army Special Forces NCO and Warrant Officer. In addition to writing on defense, he covers the NFL for PatsFans.com and is a member of the Pro Football Writers of America (PFWA). His work was regularly featured in many military publications.
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