The bow section of the first Columbia-class ballistic missile submarine arrived at General Dynamics’ Electric Boat South Yard assembly building in Groton, Conn. last week, where it will undergo final assembly.
With this delivery, all of the major modules for the future USS District of Columbia (SSBN-826) are now at Electric Boat’s facility. The bow and stern of the SSBNs are being built by Huntington Ingalls Industries’ (HII) Newport News Shipbuilding division.
Rep. Joe Courtney (D-Conn.), whose district includes the shipyard, hailed the “breakthrough milestone for the Columbia program. This module completes the delivery of all major modules for the District of Columbia. For the first time, all modules are together in one yard.”
Courtney also said the Northrop Grumman turbine power generator was also delivered in recent weeks and these two items end two of the bigger supply chain delays for the submarine.
Last year, General Dynamics Chairwoman and CEO Phebe Novakovic said the company was slowing construction of the submarine due to late deliveries from component suppliers, especially the turbine power generators and bow.
Electric Boat in November also installed the submarine’s motor into the stern.
“This milestone is a culmination of work by an industrial base of over 2,500 suppliers, spanning all 50 states. It is also the result of the over $10 billion investment by Congress into the U.S. submarine industrial base over the last seven years,” Courtney added.
During an October earnings call, Novakovic said SSBN-826 was about 60% complete. She added that by the end of the year the company would have all of the major modules in Groton for assembly and test. General Dynamics is still trying to minimize schedule delays.
“We’ll work in coordination, hand in glove, with the Navy. We’re working very hard to move that ship to the left along with our customer and along with the supply chain. We’ve seen some improvements again from the supply chain…This next year will be pivotal,” Novakovic said.
In 2024, the Navy estimated SSBN-826 would be delivered in fiscal year 2028, 12 to 18 months later than planned, partially due to the previous late deliveries from component suppliers.
General Dynamics is the prime contractor for the Columbia-class submarines, which are built in modular sections in cooperation with HII. Electric Boat builds the central section and performs final assembly for the new SSBN after HII builds and delivers the bow and stern sections.
The Navy plans to buy 12 Columbia-class boats to replace the aging Ohio-class SSBNs in what it frequently calls its top acquisition priority.
“We are ready to work with the brightest minds across the nation to ensure that America continues to lead in AI and its critical applications,” Williams added.
Exchange Monitor affiliate Defense Daily first published a version of this story.