New US subs to be armed with Trident missiles

02.02.2011 US Navy is about to arm prospective nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines SSBN(X) with Trident II D5 ballistic missiles, reports Defense Aerospace. New submarines SSBN(X) which are to change Ohio class subs will have 16 ballistic missile tubes. To compare, Ohio class submarines are equipped with 24 tubes.

SSBN(X) development program was kicked off in 2010. Missile tubes are designed by Electric Boat which won the $592-mln contract in Dec 2008. Tubes must be capable to launch perspective ballistic missiles as well.

According to plans of American military, development stage of technical design of the new sub would start in 2014, and the lead sub would be laid down in 2019. Supposedly, the works on SSBN(X) will be fully completed in 2026, and first sub of the project will be commissioned into US Navy in 2029. As is expected, first of Ohio class submarines would be written off in 2017. Afterwards, US Navy plans to decommission one submarine of this class each year within a 13-year period.

Technical characteristics of the perspective American sub are unknown so far. Presumably, apart from ballistic missiles the submarine would be armed with Tomahawk long-range multipurpose cruise missiles. It was previously reported that draft defense budgets 2011 and 2012 did not provide financing of SSBN(X) project.