emc wrote:
. . . I suspect that the cost differential due solely to the nuclear plant, as opposed to the increased capabilities associated with the weapons systems that are carried, don't result in an SSN being 4 or 5 times more costly than a comparable diesel boat. . . .
. . . Probably the most directly comparable nuclear vs diesel boats are the USN's Tullibee (by all reports, less than successful) and the Barbel class. I'm trying to hunt up their budgeted costs for comparison. . . .
Yes, the difference in combat system capability is a major factor in the much greater cost of nuclear submarines. Non-nuclear subs cannot provide the power
that these systems need. (I've heard that, for current USN SSNs, the combat system cost is approximately one third of the total ship cost. If that is
true, Virginia's combat system, sitting on the pier in crates, would cost more than just about any diesel boat ever built.)
