USS Washington (SSN-787). HII Photo
NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. – The Virginia-class attack submarine program office is in the early stages of determining what its Block VI design might look like and what payloads it would need to accommodate, the program manager said last week. Read More
Artist’s rendering of the Columbia-class SSBN submarine. US Navy Image
This post has been updated to correctly state that the first patrol will begin in October 2030 and that design disclosures are on track to be 83 percent complete at the start of construction.
NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. – The Navy will have the most complete design ever and will be well into construction when the “official start” of construction on the lead Columbia-class ballistic missile submarine occurs on Oct. 1, 2020, the service’s program manager said. Read More
Workers stand pose for a photo in the four-tube “quad-pack” built for the U.S. Ohio Replacement-class and U.K. Successor-class. General Dynamics Electric Boat Photo via US Navy
This post has been updated to state that the Columbia program is 97-percent complete with the design arrangements specifically. CEO Phebe Novakovic originally stated that the program was 97-percent complete with detail design; however, the detail design includes more than just the arrangements.
General Dynamics’ Electric Boat shipyard is nearly done with the basic design of the Columbia-class ballistic missile submarine, the company CEO said today. Read More
USS North Dakota (SSN-784), transit the Thames River as they pull into their homeport on Naval Submarine Base New London in Groton, Conn. US Navy Photo
General Dynamics Electric Boat has won a $2 billion contract modification to continue long-lead work for the Block V Virginia-class attack submarine (SSN-774) program, according to a Monday Pentagon contract announcement. Read More
The Virginia-class attack submarine North Dakota (SSN-784) is rolled out of an indoor shipyard facility at General Dynamics Electric Boat in Groton, Conn. US Navy Photo
General Dynamics Corp. plans to invest $1 billion in 2019 in upgrading and retooling its manufacturing operations company-wide, with a focus on its growing submarine construction business.
USS Greeneville (SSN-772) sits atop blocks in Dry Dock #1 at the Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard and Intermediate Maintenance Facility, Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on Feb. 21, 2001. DoD photo.
As the Navy grapples with current backlogs of work at public maintenance yards and finalizes its longer-term plans for fleet maintenance, some lawmakers are pushing the Navy to send more attack submarine maintenance work to private shipbuilders. Read More
Los Angeles-class attack submarine USS Helena (SSN-725) arrives at Norfolk Naval Shipyard for a high-priority docking continuous maintenance availability on Aug. 20, 2015. US Navy Photo
Delays in maintenance have resulted in at least 1,891 lost operational days for the U.S. attack submarine fleet and cost the Navy about $1.5 billion to support boats that can’t go to sea, according to a Monday report from the Government Accountability Office. Read More
The following is the Nov. 19, 2018 Government Accountability Office report, Navy Readiness: Actions Needed to Address Costly Maintenance Delays Facing the Attack Submarine Fleet. Read More
An undated artist’s rendering of the planned Columbia-class submarine. Naval Sea Systems Command Image
General Dynamics officials expect to sign the contract to build the first of the Navy’s next-generation ballistic missile submarine – the Columbia-class – at the end of 2019 but are already preparing the shipyard for this program.
The crew stands aboard future USS South Dakota (SSN-790) Navy photo
The Navy accepted delivery of the future attack submarine South Dakota (SSN-790) from General Dynamics Electric Boat earlier this week, marking the second-to-last Block III Virginia-class boat to come through the production line.
