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The Navy’s next-generation attack submarine won’t be a reality for at least 15 years, according to a new report.
The Navy’s SSN(X) was originally slated to enter production in 2031. That timeline has since slipped – to 2035 and now to 2040, due to escalating costs and budget constraints.
The Navy requested $623 million in its FY 2026 budget to advance the program.
This new class is expected to emphasize stealth, intelligence gathering, larger torpedo payloads and advanced connectivity with unmanned undersea systems.
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Only two shipyards in the U.S. can build nuclear-powered submarines like this USS Minnesota, a Virginia-class fast attack submarine. (Colin Murty-Pool/Getty Images)
The report urges lawmakers to consider whether the delay could threaten U.S. undersea dominance and the Navy’s ability to conduct critical missions.
At around 10,000 tons, the SSN(X) is projected to cost between $6.7 billion and $8 billion per vessel, making it significantly more expensive than the Virginia‑class subs it’s intended to replace.
Virginia‑class boats cost approximately $4 billion each and have been in service since 1998. The Navy typically procures two per year, but actual production has slowed to just 1.2–1.4 subs annually, resulting in a growing backlog of funded but unconstructed boats.
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Virginia‑class boats cost approximately $4 billion each and have been in service since 1998. (Colin Murty-Pool/Getty Images)
For FY 2025, the Navy requested only one Virginia‑class submarine due to production constraints. Only two U.S. shipyards – Electric Boat and Newport News – are equipped to build nuclear-powered submarines.
The report also encourages lawmakers to examine the impact of deferring production on the industrial base and whether shifting from highly enriched uranium reactors to low-enriched uranium might offer cost or safety advantages.
Meanwhile, the Navy aims to grow its fleet from 296 to 381 ships in the coming decades – but experts warn that major industrial expansion would be required to reach those targets.
“We need more ships delivered on time and on budget, and we are challenged in both arenas,” said Brett A. Seidle, acting assistant secretary of the Navy for research, development and acquisition, during a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing. “Costs are rising faster than inflation, and schedules on multiple programs are delayed one to three years.”
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Experts have been sounding the alarm on the backlogged submarine production process. (U.S. Navy photo by Ray Narimatsu/Released)
Despite nearly doubling its shipbuilding budget over the past two decades, the Navy has consistently fallen short of its ship-count goals. The Government Accountability Office noted that Navy shipbuilding programs and yards are effectively operating in a “perpetual state of triage.”
Last month, Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D‑Conn., the top Democrat on the Appropriations Committee, pressed Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on his plan to expand shipbuilding capacity.
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“I want your plan. Can we get that in writing and on paper? Because we don’t have anything today – zip, nada,” she said.
“We have the details,” Hegseth responded, “and we will provide them.”
