Key Points – The U.S. Navy’s Virginia-class attack submarines have continuously advanced with each new “Block,” introducing game-changing capabilities without requiring entirely new hull designs. Block III boats feature computerized fly-by-wire navigation, advanced bow sonars, improved stealth coatings, and enhanced special operations facilities.
-Block V submarines further extend capabilities by significantly increasing Tomahawk missile capacity with additional Virginia Payload Modules. Now, emerging wireless undersea drone technologies promise real-time data transmission, enabling instant threat detection and communication.
(July 9, 2018) – Multi-national Special Operations Forces (SOF) participate in a submarine insertion exercise with the fast-attack submarine USS Hawaii (SSN 776) and combat rubber raiding craft off the coast of Oahu, Hawaii during Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) exercise, July 9. Twenty-five nations, 46 ships and five submarines, about 200 aircraft, and 25,000 personnel are participating in RIMPAC from June 27 to Aug. 2 in and around the Hawaiian Islands and Southern California. 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 of the world’s oceans. RIMPAC 2018 is the 26th exercise in the series that began in 1971.` (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Daniel Hinton)
-Underwater acoustic and fiber-optic breakthroughs let unmanned underwater vehicles relay intelligence swiftly, redefining submarine warfare. These continuous advancements underscore the remarkable adaptability and limitless upgrade potential of the Virginia-class subs.
The Virginia-Class Submarine Is Special
Each new Virginia-class submarine “Block” of boats has advanced undersea attack and detection technology to new levels. Current Block III and Block V Virginia boats differ entirely from the earlier Blocks.
With a Virginia-class Block VI under development and continued exploration of a much-discussed SSN(X) future-generation attack submarine, some might wonder just how far the Virginia-class boats can be upgraded before a new hull is necessary.
No Limits to Virginia-Class
The extent of upgrades to Virginia-class submarines appears to be limitless. Block III Virginia-class submarines and beyond are all engineered with a “fly-by-wire” automated computer navigational system, which enables humans to set depth and speed and allows computer automation to maintain the boat’s movements.
This automation replaced the legacy hydraulic mechanical navigation systems. Block III Virginias also have a redesigned Large Aperture Bow sonar system, bringing new capacity for range and sensitivity to undersea acoustic detection.
Block III boats also leverage fiber-optic communications technology to enable commanders to view periscope sensor input from numerous locations inside the boat.
Block III boats have received new antennas, coating materials, and quieting technologies in recent years, significantly improving their ability to conduct clandestine undersea reconnaissance missions.
Block III also uses a “lock-out-trunk” area where Special Operations Forces can exit a submarine for clandestine missions without having to surface.
Block V boats add massive firepower through the integration of Virginia Payload Modules, a roughly 80-foot missile-tube section added to the center of the vessel to increase its Tomahawk missile firing capacity from 12 missiles up to 40.
Virginia-Class. Image Credit: Creative Commons.
US Navy Attack Submarine. Image Credit: Creative Commons.
Alongside these innovations, there continue to be breakthroughs with undersea drones able to launch from missile tubes and conduct high-risk, forward-operating sensing and reconnaissance missions.
Wireless Undersea Connectivity
The largest area of progress may be undersea communications, and these are the breakthroughs that massively improve and change submarine operations without requiring a new submarine class.
The Navy and its industry partners have made significant progress with wireless undersea data transmissions, such as in the case of Raytheon’s Barracuda mine-destroying undersea drone.
Since radio frequency (RF) does not transmit beneath the surface, except in some mostly ineffective low-frequency signals, the Navy and its industry partners such as BAE Systems and Raytheon have been working on pioneering undersea non-electromagnetic connectivity able to function as GPS can on land.
A key tactical advantage here relates to undersea drones, as the Navy is still largely unable to transmit data quickly in real time between unmanned underwater vehicles and host ship submarines. Developers are closer to progress, yet forward-operating undersea drones have had to gather, collect, and organize sensor data and then download it upon return.
However, this is changing as innovators launch UUVs from missile tubes and uncover technological methods of transmitting critical information in real-time.
One promising effort uses a series of transport layers integrated through gateways. Undersea drones can reach great depths yet remain “tethered” to a fiber optic cable able to send key threat data to the surface.
Perhaps an undersea drone uses forward acoustic “pings” to analyze a return signal and detect the presence of an enemy submarine.
In this instance, the drone can instantly send threat details to the surface through a high-speed cable.
Once the information is on the ocean’s surface, gateway technologies can use advanced computer technology and IP protocol to essentially “translate” data from one transport layer to another.
A surface gateway can attach to an antenna or above-water sensing and transmission device in position to send an RF or GPS signal to air, land, and surface nodes.
Moving beyond this, emerging technologies can increasingly approach or come closer to an ability to transmit real-time data wirelessly undersea.
There would seem to be few limits to this kind of technological advancement, which could introduce new concepts of operation and support a new generation of undersea combat without needing to redesign the Virginia-class hull.
About the Author: Kris Osborn
Kris Osborn is Military Technology Editor of 19FortyFive and the President of Warrior Maven – Center for Military Modernization. Osborn previously served at the Pentagon as a highly qualified expert in the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army—Acquisition, Logistics & Technology. Osborn has also worked as an anchor and on-air military specialist at national TV networks. He has appeared as a guest military expert on Fox News, MSNBC, The Military Channel, and The History Channel. He also has a Masters Degree in Comparative Literature from Columbia University.
