Originally Posted by
Going Boeing
It would be unlikely to be USS South Dakota as that vessel has been fitted with a large number of new technologies that are being developed for future Virginias, Columbias & SSN(X) classes.
https://news.usni.org/2016/03/28/sub...ional-concepts
Posted by
golder: “
From what I saw, the first would be secondhand and block 3 fits, With the remainder new build. though not with vertical launch.”
All Virginias have vertical launch - Blocks 1 & 2 via 12 individual launch tubes, Blocks 3 & on via 2 Virginia Payload Tubes (VPT’s) mounted in the bow section. Obviously, the RAN won’t be getting the Block 5’s Virginia Payload Module which has 4 VPT’s that are additional to the bow mounted ones.
I don’t understand the speculation that the possible two extra Virginias would be new builds as these vessels would just be required to fill in until sufficient AUKUS SSNs have been built. The RAN would only need 2nd hand Virginias with sufficient reactor life to fill in any production gap.
Sky News are saying that the Collins class are getting Tomahawk missiles, it would be interesting to find out if this means that production of the tube launched version has been restarted or whether there’s sufficient parts in the USN inventory available to modify the recently ordered 20 RGM-109E Block 4 missiles to the UGM-109 standard.
https://www.skynews.com.au/australia...3f91b3041dd7ba
It was a video interview. I can't find it restated in text. I heard it as just the first one was secondhand? I may have been wrong. every reference I now googled, points to more being secondhand.
They talk about some secondhand and some new. The first secondhand has 20 years life left and may have been where I was confused..
As to vertical launch I think they mean the block 5 extension is out, in the new builds.
"The Virginia Class submarine is already heavily armed. Each boat can carry up to 37 torpedo-sized weapons, such as Tomahawk cruise missiles. Twelve of these slots are in two vertical launch systems (VLS), known as the Virginia Payload Tubes. The new Block V (5) batch of submarines will add 28 more slots in its VLS. This is an increase of 76% of torpedo-sized weapons."
Being a sceptic, it doesn't exclude the possibility of the 'new' being a
PR exercise?