First US next-generation Columbia-class nuclear ballistic missile submarine now over 50% complete.

General Dynamics told investors on Oct. 24 that lead boat USS District of Columbia is past 60 percent complete, with major modules due in Groton by the end of 2025. The company reaffirmed a revised schedule toward FY 2028 delivery and a 2030 first deterrent patrol, a timeline that keeps pressure on suppliers and Navy oversight to avoid a coverage gap as Ohio-class boats retire.

Speaking on the third quarter earnings call, General Dynamics leadership said construction of SSBN-826 has cleared the 60 percent mark and that the remaining large sections are tracking to arrive in Groton before year's end, a sign of gradual recovery after earlier turbine and bow section troubles. According to USNI, the company framed 2026 as a decisive build year as it works to hold the Navy’s updated plan, delivery in FY 2028, and first patrol in 2030, while suppliers stabilize flow to Electric Boat and Newport News. The message matches recent Navy and GAO warnings about schedule margin and the risks that late components pose to the strategic deterrent timeline.
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Artist’s rendering of the next-generation Columbia-class nuclear ballistic missile submarine. (Picture source: US DoD) 

The Columbia class is a controlled step-change. The submarine measures 560 feet in length (about 171 meters), 43 feet in diameter, with submerged displacement of around 20,800 long tons. The design retains 16 launch tubes compatible with Trident II D5LE, 87 inches in diameter, instead of the Ohio class’s 24. The S1B reactor is intended to last the ship’s life, removing the mid-life refueling and freeing additional days at sea. Turbo-electric propulsion, paired with a pump-jet, decouples turbines and shaft via a main electric motor to reduce gear-related acoustic tones. The X-stern improves low-speed control and depth-keeping. The sonar suite adapts an enlarged Large Aperture Bow (LAB) from the Virginia class for wideband passive detection with simplified upkeep. Berthing is planned for roughly 155 sailors, with endurance and crew rotation in mind.

The Common Missile Compartment (CMC), developed with the United Kingdom, is modular. It uses “quad packs” and standardizes interfaces, production methods, and testing, which supports industrialization and long-term maintenance. Systems include a “common” submarine radio room and modernized optronic masts combining EHF/UHF and SATCOM links for brief, low-probability-of-intercept transmissions, an element for maintaining nuclear C2 continuity under strict EMCON. The combat system aligns with a federated SWFTS logic, integrating sonar, optronics, and weapons within an evolvable architecture over a forty-year service span.

Electric Boat and Newport News are resequencing work, starting with moving modules to Groton and prioritizing critical components. The company notes slow spots at certain subcontractors but also tangible gains on other lines. Financials show the weight of the Columbia and Virginia programs in Marine Systems revenue. The goal is not mere output: it is re-establishing a smooth assembly rhythm where rework and out-of-sequence jobs no longer disrupt shops. On the government side, governance shifts toward direct reporting to the Deputy Secretary of Defense, with a dedicated three-star, to compress decision loops on very long-lead items.

Columbia is set for longer patrols with fewer hulls while maintaining the required at-sea presence. The life-of-ship core removes a major cycle constraint, reducing heavy maintenance periods and exposure during transits and refits. Electric drive softens mechanical harmonics, widens discretion at low regimes, and lowers risk in chokepoint transits. On ocean stations, the platform sits under ambient noise, exploits thermal layers, and keeps freedom of course, while using a sparse communications plan to avoid cluttering the Recognized Maritime Picture/Common Operational Picture (RMP/COP). Sixteen D5LE missiles and a later path toward D5LE2 on follow-on hulls, sustain intercontinental strike envelopes with payload flexibility that supports strategic planning.

If SSBN-826 delivers in FY2028 and proceeds through trials and work-ups as planned, the Navy can bridge the late-life Ohio transition without a coverage gap. Extending the life of some legacy units remains a safety net, not a substitute. Near term, the variables are the arrival in Groton of the remaining modules and stabilization of the turbine-generator chain, before locking in the work sequence in the engine room. The industrial push aims at tangible effects: more in-sequence work, fewer touch-ups, and a rebuilt margin on the critical path.

A credible, quiet sea-based leg underpins extended deterrence in the Euro-Atlantic and the Indo-Pacific and shapes allied planning, from AUKUS industrial arrangements to NATO measures for infrastructure protection and ASW. Russia sustains Borei-A patrols; China expands Jin activity while preparing the next generation. In this setting, getting Columbia into the 2030 window is not symbolic; it affects opponent risk calculations and allied assurance. The revised governance, the recovery of the submarine industrial base, and a realistic schedule discipline will be judged by delivered hulls, trained crews, and patrol cycles achieved without sacrificing maintenance that preserves the acoustic edge.