Colorado on standby: US hopes to confront Russia head-on
The US Navy officially put the Colorado submarine into combat duty in the context that Russia also began equipping 4th generation submarines with super-powerful weapons.
The US Navy officially received a new nuclear submarine. The official website of the Navy announced the acceptance ceremony of the USS Colorado (SSN-788) at the shipyard in North Kingstown (Rhode Island).
It is noteworthy that the US officially put into service this new submarine in the context of Russia also putting into service a new generation submarine equipped with super weapons.
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| The US Navy officially put the Colorado submarines into combat duty in the hope that they can counter the threat from Russia. |
Construction of the USS Colorado began in March 2012 and the US Navy christened the submarine in December 2017. It is the fifth of eight Block III submarines.
The Block III version of the US nuclear submarines has many differences compared to previous versions, specifically, this type of submarine is equipped with a new sonar system with a completely different antenna system than before.
In addition, this type of submarine does not have a system of 12 launch tubes but only two launch tube clusters with a size of about 2.2 m, each launch tube cluster can not only carry 6 Tomahawk BGM-109 cruise missiles but in the future can be used for other weapons. The ship is also equipped with 4 torpedo launchers.
The USS Colorado can sink submarines and surface ships from a distance of more than 32km or destroy land targets with cruise missiles from a distance of thousands of kilometers.
The Colorado is a very quiet submarine designed to conduct land attacks, destroy surface ships, submarines and can even destroy tactical targets near shore.
The boat is fully equipped with necessary equipment such as sensors, submarines... allowing for reconnaissance, moving part of the force to conduct underwater activities and carry out search and rescue operations...
Stealth, endurance, firepower, and excellent sensor modules enable the USS Colorado nuclear-powered submarine to fulfill five of the six strategic core capabilities at sea: sea control, force projection, forward deployment, maritime security, and deterrence.
The USS Colorado submarine is 115 m long, 10 m wide, and has a displacement of about 8,000 tons. Its maximum diving depth can reach 500 m. The ship is equipped with an S9G nuclear reactor that provides full power and reaches a maximum speed of about 25 knots. In particular, according to sources from IHS Jane's Fighting Ships, its maximum speed can reach 35 knots. The crew on board is up to 134 people.
According to US sources, it is expected that this 4th generation nuclear submarine of the US will continue to operate until 2043 and from now until then the US Navy plans to launch 48 more.
With this version, after being put into service, the Americans hope and believe that the USS Colorado submarine will be a formidable opponent to Russia's new generation of submarines.
