L3Harris systems aboard two new Virginia-class subs

L3Harris Technologies has provided a suite of communications, electronic warfare, acoustic sensor, and mission systems installed aboard two newly commissioned U.S. Navy Virginia-class submarines.

USS Massachusetts and USS Idaho both entered service this spring. Massachusetts was commissioned on 28 March in Boston Harbor, with Idaho following on 25 April in Groton, Connecticut. Both submarines carry L3Harris-built systems across several capability areas, including power distribution equipment.

The Virginia class is the U.S. Navy’s primary nuclear-powered fast attack submarine, designed for a broad range of missions including anti-submarine warfare, anti-surface warfare, intelligence gathering, and special operations support. With over 20 boats commissioned since the lead vessel USS Virginia entered service in 2004, the class forms the backbone of the Navy’s undersea fleet and continues to be built at a rate intended to sustain that force structure into the coming decades.

According to the company, its communications systems provide secure connectivity in denied environments, while electronic warfare capabilities are intended to counter evolving threats. Acoustic sensors are described as extending detection range and providing early warning, with mission systems integrating those capabilities into a coherent picture for the crew.

Nino DiCosmo, President of Maritime at L3Harris, pointed to the operational demands placed on submarine crews as the context for the company’s approach to the work. “Watching these crews take their stations for the first time reinforces why reliability is our paramount requirement,” he said, as quoted in the company’s editorial. “The men and women of the Silent Service operate in conditions where technology must work without fail, every time.”

The nature of submarine operations makes that reliability requirement particularly acute. Once submerged, a crew has no ability to source replacement equipment or call for external technical support. Systems must function across extended patrols in high-pressure, acoustically sensitive environments where failure carries consequences that surface vessels do not face in the same way.