HII’s Newport News Shipbuilding division has reached a significant construction milestone for USS Oklahoma (SSN 802), the US Navy’s first Block V Virginia-class submarine.
The company reported that the submarine is now “pressure hull complete,” which signifies all of the hull sections have joined to form a single, watertight unit.
“Achieving pressure hull complete on Oklahoma highlights our commitment to accelerating production and delivering unmatched capability to our Navy customer,” said Jason Ward , NNS vice president of new construction submarine programs.
“Our dedicated shipbuilders, Navy teammates and suppliers from across the country, are working hand-in-hand to bring Oklahoma to life.”
USS Oklahoma is the 29th Virginia-class fast attack submarine, the first of Block V and the 14th to be delivered by NNS.
The Block V Virginia-class submarine represents a significant evolution of the US Navy’s Virginia-class fast attack submarine program. Block V boats introduce the Virginia payload module (VPM), a new mid-body section that increases the submarine’s length and significantly expands its payload capacity.
The VPM incorporates four large-diameter payload tubes, enabling each Block V submarine to carry up to 40 Tomahawk cruise missiles, compared to 12 on earlier Virginia-class blocks. This enhancement restores undersea strike capacity following the planned retirement of the navy’s Ohio-class guided missile submarines (SSGNs).
Like previous Virginia-class submarines, Block V boats are designed for a wide range of missions, including anti-submarine warfare, anti-surface warfare, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR), special operations support, and strike warfare. The class features a nuclear-powered propulsion system, providing extended endurance, high speed, and the ability to operate globally without refueling.
The Block V variant is being built by HII and General Dynamics Electric Boat (GDEB) as part of the US Navy’s long-term undersea strategy. The original Block V contract awarded by the US Navy covered nine new Block V Virginia-class submarines, with an option for a tenth unit. In May this year, GDEB was awarded a total of $12.4 billion in contract modifications for the construction of two more Virginia-class submarines.