Columbia-class construction deal marks a watershed for USN
Exception to usual budgeting rules allows work to proceed on first pair of new SSBNs – but will there be implications for other USN modernisation programmes?
The USN on 5 November executed a landmark contract with General Dynamics Electric Boat to begin construction on a new generation of nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines (SSBNs), in a major milestone that keeps the top-priority Columbia-class programme on schedule.
Under a $9.4 billion cost-plus-incentive-fee contract modification, General Dynamics will begin construction and test activities on the lead and second boats (SSBN 826 and SSBN 827). It will also undertake associated design and engineering support.
‘Columbia is the Navy’s number-one acquisition priority programme,’ said USN acquisition executive James Geurts. ‘Awarding this contract on-time is vital to keeping the
Our news & analysis is now part of Defence Insight®
A Basic-level or higher Defence Insight subscription is now required to view this content.
More from Naval Warfare
-
![Lessons shaping the next phase of Arleigh Burke production post-Flight IIA]()
Lessons shaping the next phase of Arleigh Burke production post-Flight IIA
The accelerated delivery of the final Flight IIA destroyer, USS Patrick Gallagher, showcases the payoff of years of workforce investment and process reform at Bath Iron Works, with the lessons feeding into Flight III production.
-
![Ukraine war drives ‘minimum deployable capability’ doctrine in uncrewed systems development]()
Ukraine war drives ‘minimum deployable capability’ doctrine in uncrewed systems development
Ukraine’s battlefield has rewritten the rules of uncrewed systems development. For Syos Aerospace, real-time operator feedback, lean serial production and a system-of-systems philosophy are central to its operating model.
-
![Sealift shortfalls set to drive opportunities across NATO navies]()
Sealift shortfalls set to drive opportunities across NATO navies
A new Council on Geostrategy primer warns that NATO cannot defend its own supply lines. As the alliance faces a sealift and logistics escort deficit, a wave of unawarded procurement is beginning to take shape.
-
![AUKUS advance on UUVs contrasts with Virginia-class compromise]()
AUKUS advance on UUVs contrasts with Virginia-class compromise
The AUKUS partnership is accelerating uncrewed undersea capability while its submarine arm inches forward, and Australia’s decision to settle for three in-service Virginia-class boats raises questions about industrial risk, dependency and whether Pillar II may deliver meaningful capability long before Pillar I can.
