Originally Posted by
golder
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?
Interview I saw said 13 years old, which whey would have be the oldest they could if they come in 2030 and are expected to serve to 2050. Also made a comment about no VPM's so they can be prioritised to the US subs, I would imaged the 2 major differences between the block 3's and blk 4 and 5. Block 4 has been refined and needs 1 less maintainance period compared to a block 3 and the 5 has refit and VPM's advantage. Maybe these situations are why the US have agreed to second hand block 3.
Maybe 20 which would still put it around early block 3's might be doable as the subs probably wont be have as hard of service life in australian service as they would in USN they maybe able to push the 35 years on the reactors to 40 +