잠수함 VPM이 장착된 버지니아급 블록V, 블록VI는 SSGN으로 지정될 것

[위종민]

2029년까지 오하이오급 SSGN 4척이 퇴역 예정인 가운데, 이를 대체할 VPM이 장착될 버지니아급 블록V 잠수함들이 SSGN으로 지정되네요. 블록V와 블록 VI를 합치면 20척이지만 SSGN은 19척이 조달될 예정이고, 1척이 무언지는 아직 확실치 않다고 합니다. 

오하이오급 SSGN 4척이 퇴역하면서 줄어드는 토마호크 발사관 숫자는 버지니아급 SSGN 16척이 취역한 뒤에야 보충되네요. 2030년 퇴역한 후 상당기간 동안 잠수함 발사 토마호크 숫자의 많이 줄겠습니다. 

버지니아급 연장형, 유도미사일 잠수함(SSGN)으로 재분류

조지프 트레비식

2026년 8월 3일 오후 6시 28분

버지니아 페이로드 모듈(VPM)이 장착된 향후 미 해군 버지니아급 핵추진 잠수함(SSN)의 후속 형식은 앞으로 공격형 잠수함이 아니라 유도미사일 잠수함(SSGN)으로 분류된다. VPM은 선체를 약 70피트(약 21m) 연장한 구획으로, 토마호크 지상공격 순항미사일, 중거리 재래식 신속타격(IRCPS) 극초음속 미사일 및 기타 탑재체를 발사할 수 있는 대형 수직발사관 4기를 갖추고 있다. 이번 재분류는 미 해군이 2029년 말까지 오하이오급 SSGN 4척을 모두 퇴역시킬 계획을 추진하는 가운데 이루어졌다. 오하이오급 SSGN은 현재 해군이 보유한 잠수함 가운데 가장 강력하고 수요가 높은 전력으로 꼽힌다. 

미 해군은 이날 발표한 보도자료에서 현재 VPM을 탑재한 버지니아급 SSGN 19척을 확보할 계획이라고 밝혔다. VPM을 처음 장착하는 함정은 미래의 USS 애리조나가 될 예정이며, 이는 현재 건조 중인 블록 V 잠수함 가운데 두 번째 함정이다. 첫 번째 블록 V 함정인 미래의 USS 오클라호마는 VPM을 장착하지 않지만, 같은 배치의 나머지 10척에는 모두 이 장비가 탑재될 예정이다. 

블록 VI 버지니아급 잠수함 역시 VPM과 함께 추가적인 성능 향상을 적용할 예정이다. 그러나 미 해군은 지난주 블록 VI 잠수함 9척과 컬럼비아급 전략핵잠수함(SSBN) 5척을 대상으로 총 766억 달러 규모의 신규 계약을 발표했다. 이 경우 블록 V 11척과 블록 VI 9척을 합하면 VPM 장착 함정은 모두 20척이 되므로, 해군이 밝힌 19척 계획과는 한 척 차이가 발생한다. 가능한 설명 가운데 하나는 이 가운데 한 척이 해저 정보수집 임무를 위한 단일 특수형 잠수함일 수 있다는 것이다. TWZ는 이에 대한 확인을 위해 미 해군에 질의했다. 

2022년 제너럴 다이내믹스 일렉트릭보트 발표자료에는 블록 V 이후 버지니아급 발전 계획이 제시됐으며, 해저 정보수집 전용 특수형 잠수함도 포함돼 있었다. 

그와 별개로 VPM 장착 버지니아급을 공식적으로 SSGN으로 재분류하기로 한 결정 자체는 매우 중요한 의미를 갖는다. 

미 해군 잠수함 사업국장 롭 고셔 중장은 성명을 통해 다음과 같이 밝혔다.

“이번 재분류는 VPM이 수중전 능력에 가져오는 향상된 타격력을 명확히 인정하는 것입니다. VPM을 장착한 새로운 SSGN은 앞으로 수십 년 동안 미 해군이 수중 영역에서 우위를 유지하도록 보장할 것입니다. 추가된 탑재 능력을 통해 우리는 동맹국을 안심시키고, 침략을 억제하며, 어떤 적보다 우위를 확보하고, 함대 지휘관들에게 매우 다재다능하면서도 강력한 국가전력 수단을 제공할 수 있게 될 것입니다.” 

미 해군 최고지휘관인 해군참모총장 대릴 코들 제독도 별도의 성명에서 다음과 같이 밝혔다.

“버지니아 페이로드 모듈을 장착한 잠수함을 SSGN으로 재분류하는 것은 이 플랫폼이 함대에 제공하는 뛰어난 타격능력, 작전 유연성, 그리고 전 세계적 작전범위를 정확히 반영하는 것입니다. 이러한 잠수함은 우리 국가에 강력하고 지속적인 억제력을 제공하고, 전구 지휘관들의 선택지를 확대하며, 언제 어디서든 싸워 이길 준비를 갖춘 해군을 보장할 것입니다.” 

VPM을 장착한 버지니아급 잠수함은 이전 형식보다 훨씬 많은 무장을 적재할 수 있다. 블록 I과 블록 II는 토마호크 12발을 발사할 수 있는 수직발사체계를 갖추고 있었다. 블록 III와 블록 IV는 기존 수직발사체계 대신 버지니아 페이로드 튜브(VPT) 2기를 채택했지만, 토마호크 탑재 수는 동일하게 12발이었다. 

블록 V와 블록 VI의 VPM 장착형은 여기에 토마호크 28발을 추가해 총 40발을 탑재할 수 있다. 향후에는 내부 모듈을 교체해 앞서 언급한 IRCPS 극초음속 미사일을 비롯한 다른 무기도 운용할 수 있게 된다. 미 해군은 현재 이 잠수함에서 수직 발사할 수 있는 신형 함대공미사일 도입도 추진 중이다. 

2021년 미 해군 브리핑 자료는 IRCPS 사업을 설명하면서, 극초음속 미사일을 VPM 발사관에서 운용하기 위한 고급 페이로드 모듈(APM)을 함께 소개했다. 미 해군은 줌월트급 구축함에도 IRCPS를 탑재할 계획이며, 이 미사일은 미 육군의 다크 이글 체계와 공통된 미사일 및 여러 구성품을 사용한다. 

모든 버지니아급 잠수함은 직경 21인치 어뢰발사관 4문을 갖추고 있으며, 이 역시 토마호크 발사에 사용할 수 있다. 또한 하푼 대함순항미사일을 발사하거나 무인잠수정(UUV)을 운용하는 데도 활용된다. VPM 역시 다른 종류의 탑재체, 특히 다양한 무인체계를 발사하고 회수할 수 있는 능력을 갖출 가능성이 매우 높다. 

일부 기존 버지니아급 잠수함은 선체 상부에 드라이 데크 셸터(DDS)를 장착해 특수전 부대, 잠수정(SDV), 기타 장비를 운용할 수 있으며, 이러한 능력 역시 연장형 SSGN으로 이어질 가능성이 있다. 

이제 오하이오급 SSGN을 살펴볼 필요가 있다. 이 잠수함은 최대 154발의 토마호크를 탑재할 수 있는 것으로 가장 잘 알려져 있지만, 실제 작전에서는 보통 약 100발 정도를 탑재한다. 그러나 이 잠수함들은 단순한 대량 미사일 발사 플랫폼이 아니다. 오하이오급 SSBN을 개조해 만든 이 함정들은 특수전 부대와 무인체계의 모함 역할을 수행할 수 있으며, 수중 정보융합 거점과 지휘통제센터로도 활용되는 다목적 플랫폼이다. 

미 해군이 공개한 자료는 오하이오급 SSGN이 갖춘 다양한 능력을 개괄적으로 보여준다. 

코들 제독은 이날 성명에서 다음과 같이 덧붙였다.

“이번 재분류는 오하이오급 유도미사일 잠수함 4척 가운데 하나인 USS 조지아가 40년이 넘는 뛰어난 복무를 마치고 퇴역 절차를 시작하는 중요한 시점에 이루어졌습니다. 조지아와 자매함들은 수중 은밀성과 압도적인 비밀 타격능력을 결합한 가치가 얼마나 지속적인지를 입증했습니다. 차세대 버지니아급 SSGN은 더욱 뛰어난 생존성, 적응성, 지속적인 전투력을 통해 그 유산을 이어갈 것입니다.” 

USS 조지아는 지난달 마지막 예정 작전순찰을 마치고 귀항했으며, 내년에 공식적으로 퇴역 절차에 들어갈 예정이다. 

다만 TWZ가 수년간 지적해 왔듯이, VPM을 장착한 버지니아급은 현재 공개된 성능만 놓고 보면 오하이오급 SSGN을 일대일로 대체할 수는 없다. 단순히 미사일 발사능력만 비교해도 개조된 오하이오급 1척은 블록 V 또는 블록 VI 버지니아급 약 4척에 해당하는 화력을 갖는다. 따라서 USS 조지아와 자매함 3척이 퇴역하면서 생기는 공백을 메우려면 버지니아급 SSGN 16척이 먼저 실전 배치돼야 하며, 이후 추가되는 3척부터 비로소 전체 전력이 증가하게 된다. 미 해군은 티콘데로가급 순양함의 퇴역과 맞물려 앞으로 수상 및 수중 전력 전체에서 수직발사관(VLS) 수가 부족해질 것이라는 문제에도 직면해 있다. 

2026년 7월 조지아주 킹스베이 해군 잠수함기지로 마지막 임무를 마치고 귀항한 USS 조지아. 

블록 V와 블록 VI 버지니아급이 현재 오하이오급 SSGN이 수행하는 특수 정보수집과 지휘통제 임무의 공백을 어떻게 메울 것인지는 아직 알려지지 않았다. 앞서 언급했듯 일부 기존 버지니아급도 특수전 지원 임무를 수행할 수 있지만 그 규모는 제한적이다. 

미 해군 보도자료는 다음과 같이 설명했다.

“대량의 장거리 정밀타격 능력을 직접 함대에 제공함으로써 이러한 SSGN은 분산 해양작전과 고강도 전쟁수행의 핵심 전력이 될 것입니다. 실전 배치가 완료되면 이 높은 생존성을 가진 플랫폼들은 세계 주요 전구에 유연하게 운용되며, 지속적인 전방 존재를 제공하고, 동맹 억제력을 강화하며, 필요할 때 즉시 결정적인 전투력을 투사할 준비를 갖추게 될 것입니다.” 

여기에 더해 미 해군은 19척의 버지니아급 SSGN이 모두 실전 배치되는 시점을 가장 빨라도 2038회계연도로 예상하고 있다. 이는 마지막 오하이오급 SSGN이 퇴역한 뒤 거의 10년이 지난 시점이다. 현재도 제너럴 다이내믹스 일렉트릭보트와 뉴포트뉴스 조선소(헌팅턴 잉걸스 인더스트리즈 산하)가 잠수함 생산 수요를 감당할 수 있을지에 대한 우려가 꾸준히 제기되고 있다. 여기에 AUKUS 방위협정의 일환으로 일부 버지니아급을 호주에 판매할 계획까지 더해지면서 생산 부담은 더욱 커졌다. 미 해군은 장기적으로 버지니아급 생산속도를 연간 2척까지 끌어올리기를 기대하고 있지만, 그 목표는 2030년대에나 달성될 것으로 보고 있다. 

적어도 한 가지는 분명하다. 미 해군은 이제 오하이오급 SSGN을 대체할 전력을 공식적으로 ‘버지니아급 SSGN’이라는 이름으로 구체화한 계획을 제시했다. 

Stretched Virginia Class Recategorized As Guided Missile Submarines (SSGNs)

Stretched Virginia Class Recategorized As Guided Missile Submarines (SSGNs)

Stretched Virginia Class Recategorized As Guided Missile Submarines (SSGNs)

The Navy will no longer categorize enlarged Virginia Block V and VI types as attack submarines ahead of Ohio class guided missile boats' retirements.

Joseph Trevithick

Published Aug 3, 2026 6:28 PM EDT

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Future subvariants of the U.S. Navy Virginia class nuclear-powered attack submarine (SSN) fitted with Virginia Payload Modules (VPM) will now be categorized as guided missile types (SSGN) instead. The VPM is a 70-foot hull extension that contains four additional large vertical tubes designed to launch Tomahawk land-attack cruise missiles, Intermediate-Range Conventional Prompt Strike (IRCPS) hypersonic missiles, and other payloads. The recategorization decision comes as the service is moving to retire all four of its Ohio class SSGNs by the end of 2029. The Ohio SSGNs are some of the most capable and heavily-in-demand submarines in the Navy’s inventory today.

The Navy currently plans to acquire 19 VPM-equipped Virginia class SSGNs, according to a press release the service put out today. The first boat in this class to feature the VPM will be the future USS Arizona, which is actually the second Block V subvariant being built. The first Block V version, the future USS Oklahoma, will lack a VPM, but the other 10 boats in this batch are expected to have this feature.

Block VI Virginia class submarines are also expected to have VPMs, as well as other upgraded capabilities. However, last week, the Navy announced a new monster $76.6 billion contract award for nine Block VI boats, as well as five additional Columbia class nuclear ballistic missile submarines, or SSBNs. This creates a discrepancy of one submarine (11 Block Vs together with nine Block VIs, for a total of 20, not 19) when it comes to the stated SSGN plans. One possible explanation might be that the outlier is a planned one-of-a-kind seabed espionage subvariant. TWZ has reached out to the Navy for clarification.

A graphic from a General Dynamics Electric Boat presentation in 2022 showing the planned evolution of the Virginia class beyond the Block V subvariant, including the planned one-of-a-kind seabed espionage boat. General Dynamics Electric Boat

Regardless, the decision to formally recategorize Virginia class submarines with VPMs as SSGNs is significant.

“This reclassification is a clear acknowledgment of the increased lethality VPM brings to the undersea fight,” Navy Vice Adm. Rob Gaucher, Director of Submarine Programs, said in a statement. “These VPM-equipped SSGNs will ensure the Navy continues to dominate the undersea domain for decades to come. By integrating this additional payload capacity, we will have the ability to surge strike power to assure our allies, deter aggression, outmatch any adversary, and give our Fleet commanders an incredibly versatile, hard-hitting instrument of national power.”

A briefing slide offering a general look at the Virginia Payload Module (VPM) that will be incorporated in Block V Virginia class submarines. USN

“Reclassifying Virginia Payload Module-equipped submarines as SSGNs accurately reflects the extraordinary strike capacity, operational flexibility, and global reach these platforms bring to the Fleet,” Navy Adm. Daryl Caudle, Chief of Naval Operations (CNO), the service’s top office, also said in his own statement. “These submarines will provide our Nation with a powerful and persistent deterrent, expand options for our combatant commanders, and ensure the Navy remains ready to fight and win whenever and wherever called upon.”

Virginia class submarines with VPMs do have significantly greater magazine depth than their predecessor. Block I and II boats had vertical launch system (VLS) arrays capable of firing a dozen Tomahawks. Block III and IV versions have a pair of Virginia Payload Tubes (VPT) in place of the earlier VLS configuration, but with the same number of tubes (12) for Tomahawks.

The Block III Virginia class submarine USS John Warner seen at its commissioning ceremony with one of its two Virginia Payload Tubes open. USN

VPM-equipped types will be able to carry 28 more Tomahawks for a total load of 40. Using different inserts, future Virginia class SSGNs will be able to carry other munitions in those tubes. This includes the aforementioned IRCPS hypersonic missiles. The Navy is also now looking to acquire a surface-to-air missile designed to be fired vertically from these submarines, which you can read more about here.

A slide from a 2021 Navy briefing providing a visual overview of the IRCPS program, including the Advanced Payload Module (APM) insert that will allow those missiles to be fired from the VPM’s tubes. The Navy is also working to arm its Zumwalt class destroyers with IRCPS missiles. The Navy’s program also shares a common missile and other elements with the U.S. Army’s ground-based Dark Eagle weapon system. USN

It should be noted here that all Virginia class submarines have four 21-inch torpedo tubes, which also offer another option for launching Tomahawks. They can also be used to fire Harpoon anti-ship cruise missiles, as well as launch and recover uncrewed underwater vehicles (UUV). It’s also possible, if not highly probable, that the VPMs will be capable of launching (and potentially recovering) other payloads, including additional uncrewed platforms.

Some existing Virginia class submarines can be fitted with Dry Deck Shelters (DDS) on top of their hulls for deploying special operations forces, swimmer delivery vehicles (SDVs), and other assets, as well. That is a capability that could be carried over to the enlarged SSGNs.

All of this brings us to the matter of the Ohio SSGNs. These boats are best known for being able to carry up to 154 Tomahawks at once, though they more typically deploy with loads of around 100 of those missiles. However, these submarines, which were converted from Ohio class SSBNs, are really multi-mission platforms. Beyond their ability to launch barrages of dozens of Tomahawks, they can act as motherships for special operations forces and uncrewed platforms, as well as serve as underwater intelligence fusion nodes and command centers. You can read more about their capabilities in this past War Zone feature.

A graphic offering a very general overview of the full breadth of features found on Ohio class SSGNs. USN

“This transition [in categorization from SSN to SSGN] comes at an important moment as USS Georgia, one of the Navy’s four Ohio class guided-missile submarines, begins the inactivation process after more than four decades of exceptional service,” CNO Caudle also said in his statement today. “Georgia and her sister ships proved the enduring value of combining undersea stealth with unmatched clandestine strike capability. The next generation of Virginia class SSGNs builds on that legacy with greater survivability, adaptability, and sustained combat power.”

USS Georgia returned home from its final scheduled operational patrol last month. It is now scheduled to be formally inactivated next year.

At the same time, as TWZ has noted for years, the VPM-equipped Virginia class boats will not be a one-for-one replacement for the Ohio class SSGNs, at least based on what is publicly known about the former’s expected capabilities. Just in terms of missile launch capacity, each one of the converted Ohios is equal to roughly four Block V/VI Virginias. This means the Navy will need to field 16 new Virginia SSGNs before it fills the gap left by the retirement of USS Georgia and its three sisters, and can then start adding capacity with three additional boats. The Navy is facing a broader deficit in VLS capacity across its surface and subsurface fleets in the coming years, due also in part to the impending retirement of the last of its Ticonderoga class cruisers.

USS Georgia seen after its final return to Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay in Georgia in July 2026. USN/Petty Officer 1st Class Travis Alston

It is unclear what other capabilities the Block V and VI Virginia class submarines might have that will help make up for the loss of the specialized intelligence gathering and command and control tasks currently performed by the Ohio class SSGNs. As noted, some existing Virginia class submarines also perform the special operations support mission, but on a more limited level.

“By putting high-volume, long-range precision strike capabilities directly into the hands of the Fleet, these SSGNs will serve as a vital cornerstone for Distributed Maritime Operations and high-end warfighting,” the Navy’s press release today says. “Once operational, these highly survivable platforms will be dynamically employed across crucial global theaters – providing persistent forward presence, reinforcing robust alliance deterrence, and standing ready to project decisive combat power at a moment’s notice.”

On top of all this, the Navy does not expect the full fleet of 19 Virginia SSGNs to be in service until Fiscal Year 2038, at the earliest. This will be nearly a decade after the last Ohio SSGNs sail into mothballs. Concerns are regularly voiced now about the ability of General Dynamics Electric Boat and Newport News Shipbuilding (a division of Huntington Ingalls Industries) to keep up with demand for submarines in this class. There is even more pressure on the program with the addition of plans to sell some of those boats to Australia as part of the trilateral Australia-United Kingdom-United States (AUKUS) defense pact. The Navy is hoping to see the Virginia class production rate eventually rise to two per year, but is not expecting that to come until sometime in the 2030s.

If nothing else, the Navy has at least outlined more of a formal plan to supplant the Ohio class SSGNs with what it has now dubbed Virginia class SSGNs.

Contact the author: joe@twz.com

Joseph TrevithickDeputy Editor

Joseph is TWZ’s Deputy Editor, helping to oversee the site’s highly experienced and dedicated team, while also writing informative and impactful defense and national security content. He lives right in the thick of it in the Washington, D.C. area.

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