Los Angeles-class Submarine

Cold War-era nuclear fast-attack submarine that was the backbone of the U.S. Navy's undersea fleet for decades, with 62 boats built. Remaining hulls are being progressively retired as Virginia-class boats enter service.

In service since 1976 · 1 operator countries

Compiled from public sources ·primary reference ↗ ·last verified 2026-07-02

290

m depth

6,927

129

crew

Procurement snapshot

Availability & export

US ITAR-controlled

Export needs U.S. State Dept (DDTC) approval; end-use & re-transfer restrictions apply.

Channel: Foreign Military Sales (FMS) or Direct Commercial Sale

Fielded & proven

Limited · 1 operator

In service since 1976. Status: legacy · ~62 built.

Lifecycle cost (est.)

No public unit price to model from.

Interoperability

Mk 41 VLS-class

Derived guidance from public data — export regime by country of origin, lifecycle from the GAO ~30% acquisition rule. Verify eligibility, pricing and offsets with the manufacturer and your acquisition authority.

Full specifications

Firepower

Armament, payload and guidance.

VLS cells Vertical-launch missile cells on a warship — a proxy for magazine depth. Higher means more missiles before rearming.: 12

Stronger than 38% of submarines
Torpedo tubes Number of torpedo tubes (submarines and some surface ships).: 4

Stronger than 13% of submarines

Physical

Dimensions, weight and crew.

Length Overall length including gun/probe where applicable.: 110.3 m

Naval

Displacement, speed, endurance and diving depth.

Displacement Standard displacement in tonnes — the ship’s size class. Larger hulls carry more but cost more and are less agile.: 6,927 t
Max speed Top speed in knots (surfaced, for submarines). Higher aids positioning and screening.: 25 kn

Stronger than 82% of submarines
Submerged speed Maximum speed while submerged (submarines). Higher is faster underwater.: 25 kn

Stronger than 73% of submarines
Test depth Maximum rated diving depth (submarines). Deeper is harder to detect and engage. Actual crush depth is classified.: 290 m

Stronger than 36% of submarines
Complement Crew size. Fewer eases manning cost; more may indicate a larger, more capable platform.: 129
Propulsion plant Machinery type — nuclear reactor, gas turbine (COGAG), CODAG, diesel-electric, AIP.: 1x S6G nuclear reactor

Program

Cost, production scale and operators.

Units built Total production run. Higher means proven manufacturing, mature logistics and spares availability.: 62

Top 5% of submarines
Operator countries Number of countries operating the system. More operators means broader support ecosystem.: 1

Stronger than 39% of submarines

Specifications compiled from public General Dynamics Electric Boat and reference sources ↗. Published defense figures are approximations — treat comparisons as directional. Last verified 2026-07-02.

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