The Pentagon has awarded General Dynamics Electric Boat (GDEB) a US$2.28 billion cost-only modification to a previously awarded contract for additional advance procurement and advance construction of five Columbia-class nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines (SSBNs) and to support additional program execution in accordance with Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement 252.232-7998.
Work will be performed in Groton, Connecticut (70 per cent); Newport News, Virginia (15 per cent); and Quonset Point, Rhode Island (15 per cent), and is expected to be completed by December 2031.
No funding will be obligated at the time of award.
Upon completion, each Columbia-class SSBN will have a length of 560 feet (170 metres) and a displacement of 20,810 tons while armament will include 16 ballistic missiles and improved Mk 48 torpedoes.
GDEB is the prime contractor on the Columbia-class submarines, which will replace the aging Ohio-class SSBNs.
The Columbia-class SSBN program has come under criticism due to delays and cost overruns.
Earlier this year, the US Government Accountability Office reported that the estimated total cost of the Columbia-class 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 delivery of the first-in-class boat USS District of Columbia from its initial scheduled date of October 2027 to March 2029.
