![]() ![]() The subs now are built for around $2 billion. The Navy says this brought costs down by $300 million per sub. Block II subs were built in four sections, rather than the 10 sections used in Block I subs. The Navy has six Block II variants of the Virginia class in service. The North Carolina is the fourth of the Block I variant of the Virginia class. Signals from the masts' sensors are transmitted through fiber optic data lines through signal processors to the control center," the Navy says. ![]() "Instead of periscopes, the subs have a pair of extendable 'photonics masts' which contain high-resolution cameras with light-intensification and infrared sensors, an infrared laser rangefinder and an integrated Electronic Support Measures (ESM) array. The USS North Carolina is one of the Navy's Virginia-class nuclear attack submarines.Ĭommissioned in 2008, the 370-foot-long sub has a water displacement weight of 7,000 tons.Īccording to the Navy, Virginia-class submarines incorporate several innovations. Officials have been tight-lipped as to the specific capability expectations for the LRS-B, but indications are that it will be stealth, able to carry conventional and nuclear weapons, and could possibly operate both with and without a pilot.Īir Force Secretary Deborah Lee James said the new long-range bomber will have the ability to launch from the United States and strike any target around the globe to counter advancements in air defense systems by rival nations and emerging threats posed by potential adversaries.Īlong with the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter and the KC-46 tanker, the LRS-B is one of the Air Force's top modernization priorities. Some lawmakers, like GOP presidential candidate Jeb Bush, have called for a fleet of "at least 100" long-range bombers, an effort that would cost at least $1 billion. The Pentagon awarded the long-awaited contract to build the new Long Range Strike Bomber to Northrop Grumman in October 2015, but just how many bombers will be built and what they will look like still remains to be seen.
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