The Navy’s SSN(X) Next-Gen Attack Submarine in 2040 Brings New Generation of Undersea War

By Kris Osborn, President, Center for Military Modernization

The US Navy’s Block III and Block V Virginia-class attack submarines are being built with breakthrough technologies to help secure the service’s undersea advantages in an increasingly challenged threat environment.

Yet, the Navy is simultaneously progressing with efforts to engineer yet another breakthrough, next-generation class of attack submarines for the 2040s: SSN(X).  

The initial plan was to ensure the new boats were being developed by 2035; however, according to a 2024 Congressional report, that timeline now seems to have been pushed back to 2040. 

What do we know about the SSN(X) right now? Will costs and time delays kill the program in the future? 

Image of Virginia-Class Submarine. Image Credit: Creative Commons.

Virginia-Class Submarine Breakthroughs

One thing is clear, the Navy isn’t sleeping on the Virginia-Class submarine, that much is clear.