Columbia-Class: The Navy’s $110 Billion Ballistic Missile Submarine Program

Columbia-Class SSBN: The Way forward for the US Navy: The United States Navy at the moment operates fourteen growing old Ohio-class ballistic missile submarines (SSBNs), which have been constructed between 1976 and 1997. As well as, 4 of the oldest submarines of the category have been transformed to cruise missile submarines (SSGN) as a part of the Strategic Arms Discount Treaty (New START) with the Russian Federation.

As these SSBNs are anticipated to succeed in the finish of their anticipated life earlier than the tip of the last decade, but stay a key element of the USA army’s nuclear triad, there was a severe concern is {that a} scarcity of boats may affect the nation’s nuclear deterrent capabilities. SSBNs carry seventy p.c of the U.S. operational nuclear deterrent arsenal and are probably the most survivable leg of the nuclear triad.

For these causes, U.S. Navy has recognized the Columbia-­class program as a high precedence.

Work Underway

On October 1, 2020, building started on the long run USS Columbia (SSBN-826), the primary of a deliberate twelve submarines within the new class of U.S. Navy nuclear-powered submarines to interchange the Ohio-class starting on the finish of the last decade. Analysis and growth work on the brand new class of SSBNs has been underway for a number of years, whereas superior procurement (AP) funding for the lead vessel started within the fiscal 12 months 2017 (FY17).

The brand new SSBNs will be the most important submarines ever constructed by the USA. Every of the deliberate dozen boats will likely be 560 ft in size and have a beam of 43 ft. The category is being constructed with a life-of-ship reactor, which can lead to a shorter mid-life upkeep interval, and every was designed to serve a forty-two-year service life. This may permit the dozen Columbia-class SSBNs to interchange the present fourteen Ohio-class boats – and diminished total upfront procurement prices.

The Columbia-class will likely be outfitted with sixteen SLBM tubes, versus twenty-four SLBM tubes on Ohio-class SSBNs. That will even cut back building, operations, and upkeep prices. As well as, the brand new boats will make the most of the joint American-British developed Widespread Missile Compartment (CMC), which will even be put in on the Royal Navy’s new Dreadnought-class submarines. It was designed to launch the Trident II D5 intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM). The joint effort has been reported to avoid wasting every nation a whole lot of hundreds of thousands of {dollars}.

Taking Form in Rhode Island

In March, USNI Information reported that the long run USS Columbia has been taking form on the Normal Dynamics Electrical Boat facility in Quonset Level, Rhode Island.

Although the brand new submarine will carry eight fewer nuclear missiles than its predecessor, Columbia will likely be longer, heavier, and have a posh electrical drive propulsion system and related expertise.

The $110 billion program has been using methods that have been refined in the course of the building of the Virginia-class to maximise the effectivity of assembling the complicated hulls whereas assembly a timeline with razor-thin margins. The aim will likely be to have the brand new Columbia-class vessels enter service because the Ohio-class boats are set to retire. And because the nineteenth century patriotic tune proclaimed, Columba would be the “gem of the ocean.”

Now a Senior Editor for 1945, Peter Suciu is a Michigan-based author who has contributed to greater than 4 dozen magazines, newspapers and web sites. He frequently writes about army {hardware}, and is the creator of a number of books on army headgear together with A Gallery of Army Headdress, which is out there on Amazon.com. Peter can be a Contributing Author for Forbes.

Columbia, Columbia-class, Navy, Ohio-class, SSBN, US Navy