Bloomberg reports that the US Acting Chief of Naval Operations has set 2029 as the delivery date for the US Navy's lead Columbia-class nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine.
Acting CNO Admiral James Kilby made the confirmation during a hearing with members of the US Senate Armed Services Committee on Tuesday, June 24.
Kilby told senators that he, Secretary of the Navy John Phelan, and the Columbia-class program managers have been working to identify opportunities to move the delivery of the future USS District of Columbia to an earlier date.
The admiral said he was "optimistic" about the efforts to ensure an earlier hand-over of the boat but admitted that the 2029 delivery seems likely given present circumstances.
The Columbia-class submarine program has come under criticism due to delays and cost overruns.
Earlier this year, the Government Accountability Office reported that the estimated total cost of the program has reached US$126 billion, or six per cent higher than initially projected.
Acquisition officials had remarked that manufacturing, workforce and supply chain issues have pushed the lead submarine's delivery from its initial scheduled date of October 2027 to Kilby's current estimate of March 2029.