The U.S. Navy reported exceptional results from the first sea trial of its newest Virginia-class nuclear attack submarine (SSN), the USS Washington (SSN-787).

The trial intended to test new submarine technology for the U.S. Navy's submarine fleet and accelerate attack submarine acquisition. All systems, components and compartments of the USS Washington were tested during the trial, said the navy.

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The Washington submerged for the first time and operated at high speeds on the surface and underwater. Washington will undergo a round of acceptance trials before delivery to the Navy by Newport News Shipbuilding (NNS), a division of Huntington Ingalls Industries, which is one of two providers of U.S. Navy submarines.

The Washington's successful test follows news from the navy that it will be possible to build more Virginia-class attack submarines at a faster pace than currently planned. The navy is ramping-up production of the Virginia-class to counter the expansion of the submarine fleets of both the People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) and the Russian Navy (VMFRF).

Newport News and General Dynamics Electric Boat, the primary builder of U.S. Navy submarines for more than 100 years, have together built 13 Virginia-class boats out of a planned total of 48. Five more boats are currently building. All 13 of these boats are in operational service with the navy.

Washington is the fourth of the Block III boat featuring a revised bow with a Large Aperture Bow (LAB) sonar array. It's also armed with two vertical launching system (VLS) tubes each with six missiles, a layout similar to that of the Ohio-class cruise missile submarines (SSGNs).

Senior Navy officials said NNS and General Electric Boat have the ability to build two Virginia-class boats per year. The current effort to build two Virginia-class boat per year will be reduced to one when the construction of the new Columbia-class nuclear armed ballistic missile submarines (SSBNs) begins in the early 2020s.

Increasing the undersea strike capability of Virginia-class boats is vital to the navy's plans to degrade China's A2/AD strategy aimed at keeping U.S. surface warships as far away from the Chinese mainland as possible using anti-ship ballistic missiles such as the DF-21D.

China's A2/AD strategy, however, is ineffective against submerged submarines launching cruise missiles.

TagsU.S. Navy, Virginia-class nuclear attack submarine, USS Washington (SSN-787), Newport News Shipbuilding, People's Liberation Army Navy, Russian Navy, Block III boat