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US Navy submarine fleet to shrink to 46 by 2030
The US Navy decommissioned the USS San Juan, the first Improved Los Angeles-class submarine, on Thursday. The attack-submarine fleet is projected to fall from about 50 boats in 2025 to roughly 46-47…
The Story in Brief
The US Navy decommissioned the USS San Juan, the first Improved Los Angeles-class submarine, on Thursday. The attack-submarine fleet is projected to fall from about 50 boats in 2025 to roughly 46-47 by 2030, far below the requirement of 66. Slow Virginia-class deliveries, combined with maintenance needs of ageing boats and extra demands from the Columbia-class and AUKUS, are straining shipyard capacity.
The Navy is simultaneously pushing multi-domain capabilities. Future attack submarines will integrate payload launchers for unmanned systems and advanced weapons; Virginia-class Block V boats will carry up to 40 Tomahawk missiles. In India, the Navy operates 16 conventional submarines and three Arihant-class nuclear boats, but modernisation plans like Project-75I remain delayed.
The Indian Opinion
India's submarine modernisation is often portrayed as a failure next to China's build-up, but the US Navy's own struggle with fleet numbers and industrial constraints shows that even superpowers face bottlenecks. India's Arihant class and planned S5 boats give it a credible nuclear deterrent. The real test for New Delhi is whether it can execute Project-75I without further delays. Can the government commit to a firm timeline and industrial investment?
Sources (2): timesofindia.indiatimes.com, timesofindia.indiatimes.com (2)
This story was synthesised by AI from the 2 sources linked above.
Updated: this story now draws on 2 sources.
