US Navy receives 26th Virginia-class submarine USS Idaho from GD Electric Boat.

General Dynamics Electric Boat delivered the Pre-Commissioning Unit Idaho (SSN-799) to the U.S. Navy on December 15, 2025, formally transferring the 26th Virginia-class submarine to Navy control.

General Dynamics Electric Boat delivered the Pre-Commissioning Unit Idaho (SSN-799) to the U.S. Navy on December 15, 2025. The 26th Virginia-class submarine transitioned from shipbuilder custody to Navy control following acceptance trials at Naval Submarine Base New London. Commissioning of this Block IV unit is planned for spring 2026.
Follow Army Recognition on Google News at this link

The SSN-799, the first submarine named after the state of Idaho, has a submerged displacement of about 7,800 tonnes, a length of 115 meters, a beam of 10.4 meters, and a draft of 9.8 meters. (Picture source: GD Electric Boat)

The USS Idaho is the second Virginia-class fast-attack submarine delivered to the U.S. Navy in 2025, following the USS Massachusetts, and transitions from shipbuilder responsibility to Navy control, with the crew entering a defined post-delivery period of testing, system verification, and operational preparations ahead of commissioning. A formal ceremony accompanied the transfer, during which Electric Boat’s ship manager Sean Donovan presented the commanding officer with a plaque symbolizing the handover. Commissioning is expected in the spring of 2026, placing the USS Idaho’s delivery within the planned Block IV production timeline and the U.S. Navy’s near-term force structure objectives.

Within the broader Virginia-class submarine program, the USS Idaho (SSN-799) is the 26th Virginia-class submarine constructed under the long-standing teaming arrangement between General Dynamics Electric Boat and HII Newport News Shipbuilding, and the 14th Virginia-class submarine delivered by GD Electric Boat. The USS Idaho is also the eighth of ten Block IV boats, a configuration intended to reduce maintenance periods and increase operational availability compared with earlier blocks while retaining the class’s established multi-mission profile. The Virginia-class, overall, is designed to conduct operations in both open-ocean and littoral environments and is progressively replacing Los Angeles-class attack submarines as those boats reach the end of their service lives.

The USS Idaho’s construction history reflects a multi-year build process with clearly defined milestones. The contract award associated with the SSN-799 dates to April 28, 2014, and the name Idaho was announced on August 23, 2015, by then-Secretary of the US Navy Ray Mabus during a ceremony held in the state. The keel-laying ceremony took place on August 24, 2020, at Electric Boat’s Quonset Point facility in North Kingstown, Rhode Island, where sponsor Terry Stackley authenticated the keel and had her initials welded onto the keel plate. Construction activities continued through the COVID-19 period, with workforce and material constraints affecting schedules, and by June 2022, the crew strength was reported at 128 personnel. The USS Idaho was christened on March 16, 2024, in Groton, Connecticut, with Teresa Stackley serving as sponsor, and the ceremony used water collected from multiple Idaho lakes rather than the traditional champagne bottle.

The submarine was launched on August 6, 2024, in Groton using a float-off method, after which crew habitability gradually transitioned onboard. In November 2025, the USS Idaho completed a series of builder’s sea trials, mooring at the north wing wall of Graving Dock 2 after an initial two-day underway, then returning to sea for additional trial periods. Acceptance trials began on December 3, 2025, followed by brief port calls and a return to Electric Boat before the submarine moved to Pier 6S at Naval Submarine Base New London on December 15, matching the official delivery date. Additional milestones during this period included the first reactor startup on July 4, 2025, the crew moving aboard on August 14, and a galley opening event on August 21 as part of the transition toward operational readiness.

The USS Idaho, a Virginia-class Block IV submarine, has a submerged displacement of about 7,800 tonnes, a length of 115 meters, a beam of 10.4 meters, and a draft of 9.8 meters. Propulsion is provided by an S9G nuclear reactor supplemented by an auxiliary diesel generator, enabling sustained submerged operations for up to three months and speeds of approximately 25 knots. Test depth is stated as greater than 244 meters, and the standard crew complement includes roughly 15 officers and 120 enlisted personnel. Armament consists of four 533 mm torpedo tubes for Mk-48 torpedoes and Tomahawk cruise missiles, along with 12 vertical launch system tubes capable of launching up to 16 Tomahawk missiles in a single salvo, integrated within the AN/BYG-1 combat system architecture.

Earlier Virginia-class submarines relied on individual vertical launch tubes, while later variants introduced larger payload tubes and, from Block V onward, the Virginia Payload Module, which adds four large-diameter tubes capable of carrying seven Tomahawk missiles each. Block V boats will increase the overall length to about 140 meters and the displacement to roughly 10,400 tonnes, with procurement tied to multi-boat contracts signed in December 2019 and later adjusted in value. Program data cited alongside the USS Idaho references unit costs of around $2.8 billion for earlier boats and approximately $4.3 billion for submarines equipped with the payload module, with the long-term planning also discussing potential integration of Conventional Prompt Strike (CPS) weapons and other future payloads beginning later in the decade.

The submarine’s name and crew structure link Idaho to both naval tradition and its present leadership team. SSN-799 is the fifth U.S. Navy ship and the first submarine named for the State of Idaho, following earlier vessels including a wooden-hulled storeship commissioned in 1866 and battleship BB-42, commissioned in 1919 and credited with seven World War II battle stars. The submarine’s motto is “Esto Perpetua.” Command leadership transitioned several times during construction, with Cmdr. Nicholas Meyers served as the first commanding officer, followed by Cmdr. Randall Leslie, and Cmdr. Chad J. Guillerault assumed command on March 7, 2025. Guillerault, a native of Biddeford, Maine, is a SUNY Maritime College graduate with an engineering management master’s degree and prior assignments aboard USS Nebraska, USS Virginia, and USS Ohio, along with staff roles and multiple deployments. Executive officer listings reflect different stages of the build period, and Master Chief Jeremy M. Rooks reported as chief of the boat in May 2025 after prior service on several Virginia-class submarines. With delivery complete, the USS Idaho now enters its final pre-commissioning phase before joining the active fleet in 2026.

Written by Jérôme Brahy

Jérôme Brahy is a defense analyst and documentalist at Army Recognition. He specializes in naval modernization, aviation, drones, armored vehicles, and artillery, with a focus on strategic developments in the United States, China, Ukraine, Russia, Türkiye, and Belgium. His analyses go beyond the facts, providing context, identifying key actors, and explaining why defense news matters on a global scale.