Cutthroat is a quarter-scale submarine test vehicle,
111 ft. long and 10 ft. in diameter, that will be used as a
demonstrator platform for advanced technologies planned for
the U. S. Navy’s Virginia-class attack submarines. The LSV-2
will allow the Navy to develop and evaluate new technologies
for major improvements in the performance of the Virginia-class
submarine.
Cutthroat is being designed and fabricated by an industry
team led by Newport News Shipbuilding and including General
Dynamics’ Electric Boat Co in Groton, Conn.
Named after the Cutthroat Trout, a fish native to
Idaho, LSV-2 will be built and designed at Newport News Shipbuilding
in Newport News, Va., and at Electric Boat. Final assembly will
take place at the Acoustic Research Detachment in Bayview, Idaho.
Delivery is scheduled in 2001. The test vehicle
will be placed in service at Lake Pend Oreille near
Bayview following initial testing and certification.
Newport News Shipbuilding designs
and constructs nuclear-powered aircraft carriers and submarines
for the U.S. Navy and provides life-cycle maintenance services
for ships in the Navy fleet. The company employs 18,000 people
and has annual revenues of approximately $1.9 billion.
