Submarine Delays Sinking US Edge In A Taiwan War
Date
2025-07-17 08:11:58
(MENAFN- Asia Times) A widening gap between US submarine ambitions and industrial capacity is reshaping the undersea balance just as China accelerates its challenge beneath the waves.
This month, the US Congressional Research Service (CRS) noted that the US Navy has deferred procurement of its next-generation attack submarine, the SSN(X), from fiscal year 2035 to 2040 due to overall budget constraints, as stated in the Navy's FY2025 30-year shipbuilding plan.
The delay raises concerns about a critical production gap following the completion of the Columbia-class line and threatens continuity in the submarine industrial base. The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimates the average unit cost of the SSN(X) at US$8.7 billion, 23% higher than the Navy's own $7.1 billion projection.
Designed to exceed adversaries in speed, stealth, payload capacity and autonomous system integration, the SSN(X) draws on traits from the Seawolf, Virginia and Columbia classes, with CBO estimating a displacement of roughly 10,100 tons.
https://menafn.com/1109813617/Submarine-Delays-Sinking-US-Edge-In-A-Taiwan-War
