The US Navy, in whose interests a new strategic nuclear submarine SSBN (X) is being created, intends to arm it with Trident II D5 ballistic missiles, Defense Aerospace reports. SSBN (X), which will replace the Ohio-class submarines, will receive 16 ballistic missile silos. For comparison, the Ohio-class ships are equipped with 24 mines.
The SSBN (X) development program started in 2010. The submarine's missile silos are designed by Electric Boat, which was awarded a contract in December 2008. The deal was worth $ 592 million. The missile silos must be designed in such a way that the US Navy could in the future be able to launch promising ballistic missiles from them.
According to the plans of the US military, the development stage of the technical design of the new submarine will begin in 2014, and the first ship will be laid down in 2019. Fully work on the creation of SSBN (X) will be completed in 2026, the first submarine, built according to the new project, will be accepted into the US Navy in 2029. The first of the Ohio-class submarines is expected to be decommissioned in 2027. Subsequently, the US Navy will withdraw from its membership one boat of this type every year for 13 years.
The technical characteristics of the promising American submarine are still unknown. Presumably, in addition to ballistic missiles, it will be armed with long-range multipurpose cruise missiles Tomahawk. Earlier it was reported that the draft US military budgets for 2011 and 2012 did not provide funding for the work on SSBN (X).
