Navy to Complete First Prototypes of Virginia Payload Modules
[Kris Osborn]
Kris Osborn
Yesterday at 5:13 PM
The Navy's Virginia Payload Modules Will Triple the Virginia-Class Attack Submarine Missile-Firing Ability. First Prototypes Will Be Done by Next Year
The Navy will soon finish initial prototyping of new weapons tubes for its Virginia-Class submarines designed to massively increase missile firepower, bring the platform well into future decades and increase the range of payloads launched or fired from the attack boats.
The new missile tubes, called the Virginia Payload Modules, will rev up the submarines’ Tomahawk missile firing ability from 12 to 40 by adding an additional 28 payload tubes – more than tripling the offensive strike capability of the platforms.
Prototyping of the new submarines amounts to early construction, meaning the missile tubes now being engineered and assembled with be those which will ultimately integrate into the completed boat. In essence, construction and metal bending for elements of what will become the first VPM are underway.
http://www.scout.com/military/warrior/story/1691503-navy-protoypes-new-attack-sub-missile-tubes
