First Virginia Payload Module (VPM) Spotted for U.S. Navy's Block V Submarines

General Dynamics Electric Boat has displayed the first completed Virginia Payload Module for the U.S. Navy's Block V Virginia-class submarines. The roughly 84-foot hull section contains four large-diameter payload tubes that add space for as many as 28 Tomahawk cruise missiles, increasing a fitted submarine's total Tomahawk capacity from 12 to 40. Its completion is a visible production milestone for the Block V program, which is intended to restore undersea strike volume as converted Ohio-class guided-missile submarines retire, despite continuing shipyard workforce and schedule pressures.