September 27, 2018
The Navy Just Took Delivery of What Could Be the Most Stealth Submarine Ever
South Dakota is no ordinary Virginia-class submarine. The vessel is the lead vessel for the Navy’s Acoustic Superiority Program.
by Dave Majumdar
The United States Navy has taken delivery of what will eventually become USS South Dakota (SSN 790), the service’s seventeenth Virginia-class submarine. The Block III Virginia-class attack boat will be commissioned into service early in 2019.
"South Dakota's delivery is an important milestone," Capt. Chris Hanson, Naval Sea Systems Command’s Virginia Class Program manager, said in a statement on September 24 when the service took delivery of the vessel. "It marks the penultimate Block III delivery and will be a vital asset in the hands of the fleet."
What Hanson did not say was that South Dakota is no ordinary Virginia-class submarine. The vessel is the lead vessel for the Navy’s Acoustic Superiority Program.
https://nationalinterest.org/blog/buzz/navy-just-took-delivery-what-could-be-most-stealth-submarine-ever-32117
