U.S. Navy Seeks American Shipyards to Build Next-Generation SSN(X) Nuclear Attack Submarines.

The U.S. Navy has launched an industrial capability assessment to identify American shipyards that can build the SSN(X), a next-generation nuclear-powered attack submarine designed to deliver greater underwater speed, improved acoustic stealth, increased weapons capacity, and better integration with unmanned underwater vehicles. The initiative marks an early step toward establishing the shipbuilding capacity needed to replace the Virginia-class attack submarines and strengthen U.S. undersea warfare capabilities against increasingly sophisticated adversaries.

AI-generated artist’s impression of the U.S. Navy’s future SSN(X), a next-generation nuclear-powered attack submarine, operating alongside unmanned underwater vehicles. The SSN(X) program aims to develop a faster, stealthier, and more heavily armed successor to the Virginia class. The illustration is conceptual and does not represent the submarine’s final design. (Picture source: AI-generated image / Army Recognition)

According to a recently published Sources Sought Notice from Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA), the U.S. Navy seeks domestic shipyards capable of handling complete SSN(X) construction, including pressure-hull fabrication, modular outfitting, systems integration, and installation of nuclear reactor compartments. The assessment comes as existing American submarine construction facilities face sustained demand from Virginia-class attack submarines and Columbia-class strategic ballistic-missile submarines.

The notice, published on October 9, 2026, under reference N00135-27-SSNX, was issued through NAVSEA's Team Submarine organization and the SSN(X) New Attack Submarine Program Office, designated PMS 351. It requests information from shipyards interested in serving as prime construction yards for the future submarine class, including their existing manufacturing capabilities, specialized facilities, and potential infrastructure investments. The assessment is an early acquisition-planning measure, not a construction contract or a decision to select a particular shipyard, and the collected information is intended to help Navy officials evaluate industrial capacity and determine what improvements may be needed before production begins.

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SSN(X) is intended to succeed the Virginia-class nuclear-powered attack submarine, which currently forms the core of the U.S. Navy's modern attack submarine fleet alongside remaining Los Angeles-class vessels and three Seawolf-class submarines. Although the Navy has not selected the final SSN(X) design, it has established broad capability objectives focused on greater underwater speed, improved acoustic characteristics, and increased weapons capacity. These improvements would help future American attack submarines maneuver against advanced enemy submarines, reduce their vulnerability to detection, and reposition more effectively while conducting intelligence collection, surveillance, sea denial, and offensive strike missions.

A major objective is to increase the submarine's weapons payload, particularly through greater torpedo-room capacity. Additional internal weapon stowage could allow SSN(X) to sustain more engagements before returning to port for replenishment, improving combat endurance during extended operations in heavily defended maritime theaters. The U.S. Navy also wants the future submarine to employ and coordinate with more unmanned underwater systems and remote sensors, potentially extending its reconnaissance reach and enabling distributed operations without requiring the crewed submarine to approach every potential threat directly.

Unlike improvements introduced through successive Virginia-class construction blocks, SSN(X) is expected to incorporate these capabilities into a new submarine design. Its development must balance increased speed, weapons capacity, acoustic performance, and operational availability against engineering constraints associated with nuclear propulsion, submarine displacement, and onboard systems integration. These requirements make access to specialized construction facilities and an experienced industrial workforce especially important to the program's long-term success.

In the United States, nuclear-powered submarine construction is currently concentrated at General Dynamics Electric Boat (facilities in Groton, Connecticut, and Quonset Point, Rhode Island) and Huntington Ingalls Industries' Newport News Shipbuilding division in Virginia. Both shipbuilders build Virginia-class and Columbia-class submarines, so their existing production commitments will be central to future SSN(X) planning. The U.S. Navy's assessment could help determine whether SSN(X) construction should continue through the established shared-production arrangement or whether an alternative industrial structure would offer advantages, although any expansion beyond existing nuclear submarine shipbuilding facilities would require major infrastructure investment and workforce development.

The pressure on American submarine manufacturing capacity is already significant. Virginia-class construction must support the Navy's attack submarine force requirements, while Columbia-class production remains a major strategic priority because these submarines will replace the aging Ohio-class ballistic-missile submarines responsible for the sea-based component of the U.S. nuclear deterrent. Simultaneous production places heavy demands on skilled welders, engineers, naval architects, nuclear-qualified technicians, and specialized suppliers, meaning that introducing SSN(X) without adequate industrial preparation could intensify competition for resources and affect construction schedules.

The planned introduction of SSN(X) also carries substantial financial implications. According to Congressional Research Service reporting, the Congressional Budget Office estimated the average procurement cost at about $7.1 billion per submarine under U.S. Navy assumptions and $8.7 billion under CBO calculations, in fiscal year 2024. The U.S. Congressional Budget Office used a design assumption of about 10,100 tons submerged displacement, exceeding the original Virginia-class submarine's about 7,800 tons and the Seawolf class's about 9,138 tons. The final displacement, construction cost, and technical configuration of SSN(X) remain undetermined.

The U.S. Navy previously deferred the planned procurement of the first SSN(X) from fiscal year 2035 to fiscal year 2040, citing broader budgetary constraints. The revised schedule extends the period during which Virginia-class submarines must remain central to American undersea combat capability and increases the importance of maintaining the submarine design workforce ahead of the next generation's construction phase. For fiscal year 2026, the Navy requested about $622.8 million in research and development funding for SSN(X), including $366 million for submarine class development and $256.8 million for next-generation nuclear propulsion development, rather than construction funding for an approved submarine design.

Interested shipyards must submit their capability information by October 15, 2026, at 5:00 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time. Their responses will help the Navy better understand existing manufacturing capacity and identify future investments needed to support SSN(X) construction. This assessment matters because industrial limitations could delay introducing new undersea combat capabilities even if the Navy completes the submarine's technical development.

Beyond the immediate shipbuilding assessment, SSN(X) is strategically significant because nuclear-powered attack submarines remain among the U.S. Navy's most important assets for operations against sophisticated maritime threats. Their ability to operate covertly, track hostile submarines, collect intelligence, and launch weapons gives American commanders military options adversaries find difficult to detect or counter. These characteristics matter most in the Indo-Pacific, where China continues to expand and modernize its submarine fleet while developing more capable maritime surveillance and anti-submarine warfare systems.

A future American attack submarine combining improved underwater mobility, lower acoustic detectability, greater weapons capacity and unmanned-system integration could strengthen the Navy's ability to operate inside contested maritime areas and sustain offensive operations against increasingly capable naval forces. However, delivering these advantages will depend as much on industrial readiness as on the submarine's technical performance. By identifying potential construction yards and investment requirements well before the planned first procurement in fiscal year 2040, the U.S. Navy is addressing a critical risk facing SSN(X) and laying the groundwork for the manufacturing capacity needed to sustain American undersea superiority in future conflicts.

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Written by Alain Servaes – Chief Editor, Army Recognition Group
Alain Servaes is a former infantry non-commissioned officer and the founder of Army Recognition. With over 20 years in defense journalism, he provides expert analysis on military equipment, NATO operations, and the global defense industry.