SSN 774 Virginia Class Submarine
The Virginia class submarine often referred to as the SSN-774 class, which is a subclass of nuclear-powered fast-attack cruise missile submarines used by the US Navy, ranks 2nd on this list of the most expensive military weapons in the USA. The Virginia class submarine, the newest submarine model for the US Navy, was created by General Dynamics Electric Boat and Huntington Ingalls Industries and features the most recent in stealth, intelligence gathering, and weapons systems technology. Submarines of the Virginia class are built for a variety of open-ocean and littoral tasks, such as anti-submarine warfare and intelligence gathering. These older Los Angeles-class submarines, several of which have already been decommissioned, are intended to be replaced by them. Submarines of the Virginia-class will be purchased through 2043 and are anticipated to stay in service until at least 2060, with further submarines anticipating service well into the 2070s.
Since FY1998, the Navy has purchased 36 Virginia (SSN-774) class nuclear-powered assault submarines (SSNs), and this number will continue to rise through FY2022. Virginia-class boats have been purchased at a pace of two per year since FY2011. Virginia-class boats are being purchased through a multiyear procurement (MYP) contract and are scheduled for acquisition in FY2019–FY2023. Since FY1998, the Virginia-class design has undergone numerous updates. The Virginia Payload Module (VPM), an additional, 84-foot-long mid-body section outfitted with four large-diameter, vertical launch tubes for storing and launching additional Tomahawk missiles or other payloads, will be installed on the majority of Virginia-class boats ordered in FY2019 and subsequent years. VPM-equipped Virginia-class SSNs have an estimated acquisition cost of roughly $3.6 billion per boat when purchased at a rate of two vessels annually. The 37th and 38th Virginia-class boats are wanted by the Navy, and they are requested in the budget proposal. The anticipated total cost of the two vessels' acquisition is $7,250.6 million, or almost $7.3 billion.
Cost per unit: $3.6 billion
