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Sea-Air-Space 2019: US Navy eyes submarine upgrades

9th May 2019 - 11:01 GMT | by Marc Selinger in Washington, DC

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The US Navy has begun studying how a future version of the Virginia-class fast-attack submarine could better accommodate special operations forces and unmanned vessels, according to a service official.

The navy is looking at various concepts for the submarine’s sixth block and will spend the rest of the year exploring their feasibility, said CAPT Christopher Hanson, the submarine’s programme manager. Those studies will help the service determine the requirements for Block VI submarines, Hanson said on at the 2019 Sea-Air-Space Exposition near Washington, DC.

Of the 48 Virginia-class submarines the navy plans to buy from General Dynamics’ Electric

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