Virginia-Class SSN (Block V)

Virginia-class Block V is the fifth production configuration of the U.S. Navy's fast-attack submarine, distinguished by the Virginia Payload Module (VPM) — an 84-foot mid-body insertion adding 28 Tomahawk-capable launch tubes per hull. Block V restores the strategic strike volume lost when the four Ohio-class SSGNs retire in the 2020s-2030s. General Dynamics Electric Boat leads construction with Newport News Shipbuilding as the second yard. AUKUS Pillar 1 commitments include delivery of Virginia hulls to the Royal Australian Navy from the early 2030s. Public GAO reporting has documented capacity considerations across the U.S. submarine industrial base.