1 photo

Documents

Submarine

United States

General Dynamics Electric Boat

Virginia-class Submarine

Nuclear-powered fast-attack submarine that is the U.S. Navy's newest and most capable attack boat, built jointly by Electric Boat and Huntington Ingalls. Later Block variants add a Virginia Payload Module for additional strike missiles.

In service since 2004 · 1 operator countries

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

240

m depth

7,900

135

crew

💲 ≈ $3,450,000,000 — Approximate per-boat procurement cost

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 2004. Status: active · ~24 built.

Lifecycle cost (est.)

$8.6B – $12B

Acquisition is only ~30% of lifecycle cost — operating & support dominate over ~30 yrs. Rough 2.5–3.5× the unit price.

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.: 114.9 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.: 7,900 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.: 240 m

Stronger than 14% of submarines
Complement Crew size. Fewer eases manning cost; more may indicate a larger, more capable platform.: 135
Propulsion plant Machinery type — nuclear reactor, gas turbine (COGAG), CODAG, diesel-electric, AIP.: 1x S9G nuclear reactor

Program

Cost, production scale and operators.

Unit cost Approximate flyaway/unit cost where public. Defense pricing varies hugely by contract, offsets and configuration. Lower is cheaper.: $3,450,000,000

Stronger than 28% of submarines
Units built Total production run. Higher means proven manufacturing, mature logistics and spares availability.: 24

Stronger than 89% 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.

Compare with rivals

See how it stacks up

Submarine

Virginia-class Submarine Borei-class

Rubin Design Bureau Borei-class

View Borei-class ↗

Submarine

Virginia-class Submarine Kilo-class (Project 636.3)

Rubin Design Bureau Kilo-class (Project 636.3)

View Kilo-class (Project 636.3) ↗

Submarine

Virginia-class Submarine Los Angeles-class Submarine

General Dynamics Electric Boat Los Angeles-class Submarine

View Los Angeles-class Submarine ↗

Frequently asked questions

How many countries operate the General Dynamics Electric Boat Virginia-class Submarine? +

The General Dynamics Electric Boat Virginia-class Submarine is operated by 1 countries.

How much does the General Dynamics Electric Boat Virginia-class Submarine cost? +

The General Dynamics Electric Boat Virginia-class Submarine has an approximate unit cost of 3,450,000,000 USD. Defense pricing varies by contract, offsets and configuration — treat this as directional.