Attack Submarines – SSN – Los Angeles Class

Named after the U.S. city, the Los Angeles-class family of nuclear-powered fast attack submarines represents two generations and nearly half-a-century of the U.S. Navy’s attack submarine (SSN) fleet. The U.S. Navy has three classes of attack submarines deployed in the world’s oceans-Los Angeles-class, Virginia-class, and Seawolf-class. The Los Angeles-class SSN forms the backbone of the Naval submarine force, with 51 vessels currently deployed in the world’s oceans-16 boats in the Pacific Fleet and 32 in the Atlantic Fleet. This class is equipped for anti-submarine combat, reconnaissance, show-of-force missions, insertion of special forces, strike missions, mining, and search and rescue.

The first submarine of this class was commissioned in 1976, and the latest-the USS Cheyenne-was commissioned in 1996. The production work on the vessels are split up by a number of industry teams. Manufacturing of the boats are undertaken by Pascagoula, Mississippi-based Northrup Grumman Ship Systems (formerly Newport News Shipbuilding) and Groton, Connecticut-based General Dynamics Electric Boat Division.

Fitted with a vertical launch missile system with twelve launch tubes, the Los Angeles-class submarine has impressive missile capabilities. Initially equipped with a Raytheon CCS Mark 2 combat data system, the SSNs upgraded to the Raytheon AN/BYG-1 Combat Control System (also integrated on the Virginia and Seawolf classes) in 2005. Armed with both the land-attack and anti-ship versions of Raytheon’s Tomahawk missile, the Los Angeles-class most recently saw battle in the Gulf War and Operation Iraqi Freedom. Two of the nine Los Angeles-class SSNs deployed in the 1991 Gulf War used their Tomahawks. All twelve of the SSNs supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom launched their Tomahawk TLAM missiles.

In 2003, the first launch of the new Raytheon Tactical Tomahawk Block IV missile integrated with a live warhead took place from the USS Tucson(SSN-770). The new Block IV missile has a two-way satellite linking system that is able to reprogram the Tomahawk while in midflight and transmit Battle Damage Indication (BDI) imagery in real-time. The Los Angeles-class SSNs also carries Boeing’s subsonic Harpoon anti-ship missile which utilizes active radar homing to deliver a 225-kg warhead to its target.

The propulsion system of the Los Angeles-class SSN consists of a General Electric-produced 26-MW nuclear pressure water reactor-the model GE PWR S6G. The 242-kW auxiliary prop motor is manufactured by Wisconsin-based Magnatek.