From the Manufacturer
The Virginia Class Submarine is the first U.S. submarines to be designed for a broad spectrum of open-ocean and littoral missions around the world. They were designed as a cheaper alternative to the Cold War era Seawolf-class attack submarines, and are slated to replace aging Los Angeles class subs, thirteen of which have already been decommissioned. The Virginia class is tailored to excel in a wide range of war-fighting missions. These include anti-submarine and surface ship warfare; special operation forces; strike; intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance; carrier and expeditionary strike group support; and mine warfare. The Virginia Class Submarine has a weapons launch of four 21-inch torpedo tubes & 12 vertical launch system tubes. Its weapon comprises of tomahawk land-attack missiles, Unmanned Undersea Vehicles (UUV), Mark 48 advanced capability torpedoes, and advanced mobile mines. The New Attack Submarine also features an integral Lock-Out/Lock-In chamber for special operations and can host Special Operations Forces' underwater delivery vehicles.
Product Description
The Virginia class (or SSN-774 class) of attack submarines are U.S. submarines designed for a broad spectrum of open-ocean and littoral missions. They were designed as a less expensive alternative to the Cold War-era designed Seawolf class attack submarines, and they are slated to replace the aging Los Angeles class submarines, seventeen of which (from a total of 62) have already been decommissioned.