The US Navy has said it is on schedule to receive its first platform under the Columbia-class nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine program in 2028 and expects full-rate production by 2031.
Rear Adm. Todd Weeks, the initiative’s chief officer, confirmed the timeline as he revealed that the lead boat, the future USS District of Columbia (SSBN 826), is about 65 percent complete, Breaking Defense reported.
The announcement serves as assurance after the program, which set an initial delivery date in 2027, faced shipment delays on “major items of materiel.”
According to Weeks, the new, concrete timeline is a result of an “acceleration” framework established between the navy and defense contractors, which aimed to place all modules for the first vessel in the series at General Dynamics Electric Boat’s shipyard in Groton, Connecticut, by the end of 2025.
The last piece under that plan is a bow that was delivered to the facility in November, reflecting the industry’s commitment to the effort.
“By the end of this year, we will be pressure hull complete on that lead ship,” USNI News quoted Weeks as saying.
“Then next year the ship will go into the water, and we’re driving towards delivering the ship in 2028.”
Second, Third Hulls in the Works
The second Columbia boat, the future USS Wisconsin (SSBN 827), is now 35 percent complete and remains on track for delivery by the end of the decade.
“It is today, one of only two US Navy ships under construction that are on schedule,” Weeks said.
The official also gave a brief update on the third system, which as of 2025, has not yet been ordered by the Pentagon due to ongoing cost negotiations.
“The third ship [Groton (SSBN-828)] is about 10 percent complete, and we’re seeing good ramp-up there,” Weeks noted.
The Columbia Submarine Program
The Columbia-class program was initiated in 2020 to replace the 1980s-era Ohio-class fleet that was commissioned for similar roles.
Washington plans to build up to 12 vessels under the plan, with each platform designed with a length of 560 feet (171 meters) and a beam of 43 feet (13 meters).
The ships will be armed with UGM-133 Trident II underwater-launched ballistic missiles, supporting their primary function as the sea-based arm of the Pentagon’s nuclear triad strategy.
They will have an S1B nuclear reactor, which supplies power for propulsion and electricity, and a sensing suite with standards above current attack submarines.
A Columbia system will accommodate up to 115 people and operate at over 20 knots (23 miles/37 kilometers per hour).
