[Onkel Neal]

US Navy to slash the number of Virginia-class attack subs in long-delayed Block V contract

The U.S. Navy is preparing to sign a contract for nine Virginia-class attack submarines, eight of which will include a 84-foot section that boosts the boat’s strike missile capacity, which is down from 11 boats planned for in this year’s budget submission, Defense News has confirmed with sources familiar with the pending contract.


The news, which was first reported by Bloomberg, is the latest jolt to the Virginia-class program that has seen creeping delays and slipping profits in recent years caused by labor issues and a strained submarine industrial supply base. The contract was originally intended to be signed by October of last year, at the start of the 2019 fiscal year, according to Navy budget documents.