It Takes the US Navy 12 Years to Build a Nuclear Attack Submarine

The U.S. Navy commissioned two new Virginia-class attack submarines, USS Massachusetts and USS Idaho, in spring 2026, each taking roughly 12 years from contract to commissioning. This marks a significant slowdown from the 5-6 year build times in the 2000s. The delays are driven by workforce shortages at the only two capable shipyards (Electric Boat and Newport News), supplier bottlenecks, and increased submarine complexity from the new 90-foot payload module in Block V. The yards are delivering about 1.3 submarines per year against a Navy requirement of 2-2.33, with the two-per-year target now pushed to around 2032. The Columbia-class ballistic-missile submarine program, the Navy's top priority, further strains shared resources.

First published Aug 4, 02:03 PM UTCUpdated Jul 17, 03:03 PM UTC1 reports · 1 sources

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It Takes the US Navy 12 Years to Build a Nuclear Attack Submarine

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It Takes the US Navy 12 Years to Build a Nuclear Attack Submarine19FortyFiveWesternJul 17, 03:03 PM UTC

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