$348,000,000,000 Columbia Class Submarine Nightmare | The national interest

The problem: The U.S. Navy's Columbia-class nuclear-powered missile submarines, intended to replace the aging Ohio-class fleet, are facing significant delays. The lead submarine, USS District of Columbia (SSBN-826), could be delivered up to 16 months late, pushing its arrival to FY 2028 instead of FY 27. The delays stem from Contractor problems: Huntington Ingalls Industries is late in delivering the bow section and Northrop Grumman faces setbacks with the turbogenerators.

The solution: These delays could force the Navy to extend the life of existing Ohio-class submarines, sparking concerns among lawmakers. With an estimated total cost of nearly $348 billion, the program risks becoming one of the Pentagon's most expensive if not managed effectively.

US Navy's Columbia-class submarines face significant delays due to contractor setbacks

The U.S. Navy's future Columbia-class nuclear missile submarines, expected to replace the aging Ohio-class boats, will eventually become a major part of the nation's nuclear triad.

Each of the twelve planned boats will be equipped with sixteen SLBM tubes, compared to twenty-four SLBM tubes on the Ohio class SSBNs. This was intended to reduce construction, operation and maintenance costs. In addition, the new ballistic missile submarines will use the Joint Missile Compartment (CMC) jointly developed by the United States and the United Kingdom, which will also be installed on the Royal Navy's new Dreadnought-class submarines. Navy. It was designed to launch the Trident II D5 intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM). It was reported that this joint effort saved each nation hundreds of millions of dollars.

On paper, the Columbia class is exactly what the U.S. Navy needs to accomplish its nuclear deterrent mission. In reality, the situation is quite dire.

The problem is that there is now a delay of up to 16 months in the delivery of the lead ship, the future USS District of Columbia (SSBN-826). It was previously reported that the submarine could be delivered in fiscal year 2028 (FY28) instead of the previously planned delivery in FY27.

A few months ago, according to Bloomberg, the delay of the future SSBN-826 could reach 16 months, and this would be due to delays by contractors in the delivery of the ship's bow and electrical generators, according to an internal assessment of the service.

Lawmakers take note

The delays affecting the Columbia class were considered very serious, as they could force the US Navy to keep the Ohio class in service longer than planned. The original plan called for the first SSBN to be retired starting in 2027, with one additional boat leaving service each year through 2040. Navy officials have said it may be possible to extend the life of at least five of his Ohio ships. Rank submarines two to three years each so that the force remains at 12 or more ships in all but three years between 2024 and 2053.

That might not be enough for lawmakers on Capitol Hill, as the House Armed Service Seapower Subcommittee held a hearing Wednesday to review the Sea Service's shipbuilding request for fiscal 2025 as well as the service's review this month of its ship programs.

The contractor causes delays and more delays

According to the Bloomberg report, General Dynamics Corp. and Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) were tasked with designing and building the 12-boat class, an approximately $130 billion program, with each submarine assembled from six large hull segments.

During construction, the “super modules” are each equipped with systems and connections before final assembly by General Dynamics. Ideally, this would speed up production.

However, HII was scheduled to ship the bow in May 2025 from its yard in Newport News, Virginia, to the General Dynamics facility in Groton, Connecticut. It is now estimated for June 2026, 13 months late, according to figures from the internal service. The reason for these delays has not been made public.

HII said in a statement that it “faced major challenges on a complex welding sequence,” which required revising the plan for “the largest submarine ever built in the United States.” He further stated that the revised plan “has been successfully executed and is now being incorporated into subsequent ships.”

Additionally, Northrop Grumman Corp., which the U.S. Navy has contracted to deliver the ship's first turbogenerators by November 2021, had planned to provide months of margin before those components were needed. Instead, the turbogenerators are expected to be delivered in early 2025, which will further impact the schedule. Each of the submarines has two generators which provide propulsion and electrical energy for the ship.

Is it worth it in the end?

While the subs may be late, they'll be worth it in the end, provided they're actually up to the task. Maya Carlin, writing for The National Interest, also warned that the Columbia class is poised to become one of the most expensive Pentagon programs ever developed.

Although the total life cycle price of the entire class is estimated at nearly $348 billion, including the projected costs to develop and purchase the 12 submarines and maintain them through the early 2040s, they are not up to the task, the US Navy will. out more than just time and money.

Experience and expertise of the author: Peter Suciu

Peter Suciu is a writer based in Michigan. He has contributed to more than four dozen magazines, newspapers and websites with more than 3,200 published articles during a twenty-year career in journalism. He writes regularly on military hardware, firearms history, cybersecurity, politics, and international affairs. Peter is also a contributing editor for Forbes and Clearance Jobs. You can follow him on Twitter: @PeterSuciu.

You can send an email to the author: [email protected].

All images are Creative Commons.

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