The U.S. Navy is reclassifying 19 planned Virginia-class submarines to reflect increased attack capabilities associated with the Virginia Payload Module (VPM). Both outlets report that the change involves the ships’ designation, tied to the addition of the VPM, which is designed to expand the submarines’ munitions capacity. The reclassification applies to submarines that are planned rather than already completed, and it is described as a way to align the Navy’s classification with the enhanced operational role expected from the VPM-equipped configuration. In practical terms, the reporting focuses on the VPM’s impact on weapons-carrying capacity, indicating that the Navy expects these boats to field more munitions than earlier versions without the module. The outlets do not describe additional design changes beyond the payload module or provide details on timelines or naming conventions beyond the fact that 19 submarines are affected by the reclassification. Overall, the reports characterize the action as an administrative and capability-reflective update to how the Navy labels certain Virginia-class submarines once outfitted with VPM.