America is spending more than $76 billion on five new Columbia-class ballistic missile submarines and nine Virginia-class attack boats for the U.S. Navy.
The U.S. Department of War on Wednesday announced two contract modifications with a combined total value of $76.6 billion to General Dynamics Electric Boat (GDEB) and HII-Newport News Shipbuilding (HII-NNS).
As per GDEB, the deal breaks down into $29.5 billion for five additional Columbia-class submarines, $42.1 billion for nine further Virginia-class submarines, and additional support for shipyard infrastructure.
The U.S. Navy now has seven Columbia-class submarines under contract. In total 12 of the nuclear-powered, nuclear-armed boats are planned; they are intended to replace the U.S. Navy’s Ohio-class submarines. At 171 metres, they will be a similar length to their predecessors, but a metre wider, with a beam of about 13 metres.
They will displace almost 21,000 tons and carry 16 Trident D5 nuclear missiles. Each boat is projected to cost an average of over $10 billion to build; the lead boat is currently scheduled to be completed in 2030 and to enter active service the following year.
The additional nine Block VI Virginia-class submarines in the latest deal brings the total number of boats on order to 23, to join a force of 26 submarines in the class already operational.
The newest Virginia-class submarine USS Idaho entered active service in April this year; she is 115m long, displaces about 7,800 tons fully submerged and is capable of speeds in excess of 25 knots.
The nuclear-powered Virginia-class attack submarines are designed to seek and destroy enemy submarines and surface ships. They are armed with torpedoes and Tomahawk cruise missiles and are designed for a range of missions including Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR), mine warfare, battle group support, and Special Operation Forces (SOF) deployments.
Director of Submarine Programmes Vice Admiral Robert Gaucher commented: “This historic investment underscores the Department’s continued commitment to undersea superiority and the recapitalization of our nuclear triad.
“By securing the continuous production of both the Columbia and Virginia classes, we ensure we will continue to deliver the world’s most lethal, survivable and resilient combat platform to our global combatant commanders, while providing long-term stability to our shipbuilding industrial base.
“These submarines will assure our allies and deter our adversaries while serving as a key part of our joint forces by projecting combat power into denied areas and defending our nation and its interests for decades to come.”
And GDEB president Mark Rayha added: “These important contract modifications provide Electric Boat and our suppliers with the demand certainty we need to continue investing in capacity and hiring the workforce necessary to ensure we deliver these important national security assets on schedule.”
- You can read more details on the General Dynamics website and the US Navy website
