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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
25
kn
7,900
t
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. How we estimate this →
Interoperability
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.
Compatible munitions & weapons
Publicly reported weapons the Virginia-class Submarine can carry. Linked items have a full spec page.
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 |
|---|---|
| Torpedo tubes Number of torpedo tubes (submarines and some surface ships). | 4 |
Physical
Dimensions, weight and crew.
| Length Overall length including gun/probe where applicable. | 114.9 m |
|---|
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 |
|---|---|
| Units built Total production run. Higher means proven manufacturing, mature logistics and spares availability. | 24 |
| Operator countries Number of countries operating the system. More operators means broader support ecosystem. | 1 |
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
Rotterdamsche Droogdok Maatschappij (RDM) Walrus class 
Naval Group Suffren class Head-to-head comparisons
Virginia-class Submarine vs
Yasen-class 
Soryu-class 
Astute class 
Type 039A/B Yuan 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.
Similar systems
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