Los Angeles-class

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United States Navy Los Angeles-class attack submarines have been in three major generations, starting with the 31 boats of the SSN-688 design, beginning with USS Los Angeles (SSN-688), commissioned in 1971. A number of this group have been decommissioned.

The 23 boats, from SSN 719 onward, added vertical launch system tubes, primarily for land attack BGM-109 Tomahawk cruise missiles. The final 31 boats (Improved Los Angeles-class), also called "Improved 688i", have improved under-ice capability, better electronics, and are quieter.

Design goals[edit]

Considerable controversy went into establishing the design goals for the class. Just as surface warships classically have to balance armament, protection and speed, submarines need to balance even more factors:

• Speed
• Operational depth
• Quietness
• Habitability
• Armament

The previous Sturgeon-class was a more general-purpose design; the top priority for the Los Angeles was sufficient speed to cruise with aircraft carriers.^[1]

Evolving characteristics[edit]

SSN 688-718[edit]

Flight II[edit]

Improved 688i[edit]

Successors[edit]

References[edit]