Editing Virginia-class submarine (section)

==SSN(X)/Improved ''Virginia''==
{{Main|SSN(X)-class submarine}}
Initially dubbed Future Attack Submarine<ref>{{cite web|url=https://fas.org/man/dod-101/sys/ship/fas.htm|title=Future Attack Submarine|publisher=Federation of American Scientists|access-date=25 November 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151126100134/https://fas.org/man/dod-101/sys/ship/fas.htm|archive-date=26 November 2015|url-status=live}}</ref> and Improved ''Virginia'' class in early Congressional Budget Office (CBO) reports,<ref name="cbo" /> the SSN(X) will instead be a largely new design that initially supplements and eventually replaces the ''Virginia'' class submarines.

In late 2014, the US Navy began early preparation work on the SSN(X). It was planned that the first submarine would be procured in 2025. However, their introduction (i.e., procurement of the first submarine) has been pushed back to 2033/2034.<ref name="cbo" /><ref>{{cite report |title=An Analysis of the Navy's Fiscal Year 2011 Shipbuilding Plan |url=http://www.cbo.gov/sites/default/files/05-25-navyshipbuilding.pdf |publisher=Congressional Budget Office |number=Pub. No. 4116 |date=May 2010 |access-date=4 June 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141208153155/http://www.cbo.gov/sites/default/files/05-25-navyshipbuilding.pdf |archive-date=8 December 2014 |url-status=live}}</ref> The long-range shipbuilding plan is for the new SSN to be authorized in 2034, and become operational by 2044 after the last Block VII ''Virginia'' is built. Roughly a decade would be spent identifying, designing, and demonstrating new technologies before an analysis of alternatives is issued in 2024. An initial small team has been formed to consult with industry and identify the threat environment and technologies the submarine will need to operate against in the 2050-plus timeframe.

In 2019, the Congressional Budget Office estimated that the SSN(X) boats could cost up to $5.5&nbsp;billion per hull. The current ''Virginia''-class boats cost about $2.8&nbsp;billion per hull, while the Block V boats with the 80-foot Virginia Payload Module will cost about $3.2&nbsp;billion. "The Navy indicates that the next-generation attack submarine should be faster, stealthier, and able to carry more torpedoes than the ''Virginia'' class, similar to the ''Seawolf''-class submarine. CBO therefore assumed that the SSN(X) would be a ''Seawolf''-sized SSN, which displaces about 9,100 tons when submerged, and would have an all-new design in keeping with the Navy's description of it as a fast, lethal next-generation attack submarine", the CBO wrote.<ref>{{cite news |first=Sam |last=LaGore |title=Next Generation SSN(X) Attack Sub 'Is Going to Carry a Lot of Torpedoes,' Says Admiral |url=https://news.usni.org/2021/11/22/next-generation-ssnx-attack-sub-is-going-to-carry-a-lot-of-torpedoes-says-admiral |work=USNI News |publisher=U.S. Naval Institute |date=22 November 2021 |access-date=24 November 2021 }}</ref>