USS Hawaii

What’s so special about the newest in the United States Navy’s front line of defense, the Virginia class submarines? To the outsider, such subs as the USS Virginia, North Carolina, Hawaii and more is little more than a standardization in military spending and growth. While it is true that the US military, along with over militaries of the world, must constantly grow to stay effective, the one standard that many overlook are the advancements that come in leaps and bounds with military hardware. A new tank, jet, battleship, or submarine isn’t like a Toyota. You don’t have several new models each year. Instead, the planning that goes into them takes years of highly qualified individuals, making use of the most advanced and often secret technologies available. The only goal isn’t to have the biggest and most powerful weapon on the block, but also to have one that is utilitarian and cost efficient—offering the most bang for the buck, no pun intended.

Virginia class subs such as the USS Hawaii are the latest crowning achievement where all the great teams and intricate facets of R&D, production, legislation, accounting, and more come into play. The Virginia class subs were designed using more conventional off-the-shelf technology and components, which is unconventional for the military, as way to help offset costs. Still, each warship was coming in at around 2.2 billion dollars. In response to this, Congress agreed to purchase two ships at once rather than one at a time, if they could get them for $2 billion each. This would allow for an overall lower production cost, ordering twice as many components at once than before.

Sonar and periscope technologies have been left in the wind onboard the USS Hawaii, now replaced by a vast network of fiber optics, digital cameras, and high definition video. What would seem to be a relatively simple change for comfort, a new design has allowed for more room by carrying torpedoes differently, which allows for more torpedoes to be carried or for a special room for a team of up to 30 SEAL members. This new style of submarine is designed to operate in open waters and just offshore with enhanced stealth and surveillance capabilities as well as special warfare support. More firepower and more versatility for a lower overall cost is part of what brings submarines such as the USS Hawaii to the forefront in military technology.