The U.S. Navy issued a Sources Sought Notice on October 9 seeking industry information for the SSN(X) next generation submarine, an effort to identify U.S. shipyards capable of meeting manufacturing and support requirements for the planned successor to the Virginia-class fast attack fleet.
The notice is an early step that bridges concept work to eventual production, arriving more than a decade ahead of the anticipated service entry for the class. Officials said the request is intended to gather feedback from “interested and capable” domestic builders on their ability to produce and support SSN(X).
According to the notice, prospective prime shipyards must demonstrate capacity for advanced submarine construction, including complex manufacturing, complete hull fabrication, modular outfitting, precision systems integration, reactor compartment installation, and post-delivery testing. The Navy also asked for details on yard availability, workforce skills and staffing levels, and critical infrastructure such as advanced machine tools, floating dry docks, and crane systems able to lift entire submarine compartments.
Those criteria effectively focus attention on two long-standing nuclear submarine builders, General Dynamics Electric Boat in Groton, Connecticut, and Huntington Ingalls Industries’ Newport News Shipbuilding in Newport News, Virginia. Both yards have extensive nuclear submarine experience and currently build Virginia-class boats, with Electric Boat serving as the lead contractor.
SSN(X) next generation submarine and the future force
The SSN(X) program remains in its early stages. Budget documents show funding was reduced by about 121 million dollars to approximately 315 million dollars in the fiscal year 2027 presidential budget request. Despite the decrease, design work is continuing. A transition to firming up design requirements and shaping an acquisition strategy is expected next year.
Planned enhancements for SSN(X) include higher transit speeds to shorten time to station, integration with multiple Unmanned Underwater Vehicles, advances in propulsion, and a new suite of weapons and sensors. Production is tentatively slated to begin around 2034, with initial operational capability targeted in the early to mid 2040s.
Until SSN(X)
In the interim, the submarine force will continue fielding Virginia-class boats, with the total in service expected to exceed 60 across multiple blocks by the time construction winds down in the 2040s. Blocks V, VI, and VII remain on the production schedule, and work has already started on the first Block VI hull. Blocks V and VI incorporate the Virginia Payload Module, an added section that can carry 28 Tomahawk-sized weapons or 12 Conventional Prompt Strike missiles.
Design details for Block VII are not yet public. Budget materials indicate the boats could act as a bridge to mature technologies destined for SSN(X). Both Virginia and SSN(X) may receive common sonar improvements under development, potentially including a new bow conformal array with enhanced active transmission, as well as upgrades to the Wide Aperture Array or the addition of a Low Frequency Hull Array.