U.S. Navy Sub Firepower Upgrade Delayed by Welding Flaws
- BWX Technologies fixing flaws for U.S. Navy in 7-month delay
- Delay adds to pressure as Russia, China bolster their arsenals
The Virginia-class USS Indiana submarine.
Photographer: Paul Hennessy/NurPhoto via Getty Images
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Welding flaws by subcontractor BWX Technologies Inc. are delaying delivery of the first missile tubes for a U.S. Navy submarine weapons upgrade by at least seven months, according to the service.
The delay to fix the problem is a setback for plans to increase the firepower for the next version of the Virginia Class submarine by equipping it with four new large-diameter tubes. Each tube can hold seven Tomahawk cruise missiles, increasing the number of weapons the submarine can carry to 65 from 37 on current vessels, according to the Congressional Research Service.