US Navy awards General Dynamics option contract for construction of two Columbia-class SSBN submarines.

According to a contract released by the U.S. Department of Defense on November 5, 2020, General Dynamics Electric Boat Corp., Groton, Connecticut, is awarded a $9,473,511,245 cost-plus-incentive-fee modification to previously awarded contract N00024-17-C-2117. The contract modification exercises an option for construction and test of the lead and second ships of the Columbia class ballistic missile submarines SSBN 826 and SSBN 827, as well as associated design and engineering support.
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The Columbia-class is a future submarine project for the United States and British navies. (Picture source Print Screen Youtube account Weapons of The World)

The Columbia (SSBN-826) class program is a program to design and build a class of 12 new ballistic missile submarines (SSBNs) to replace the United States Navy’s current force of 14 agings Ohio-class SSBNs. The U.S. Navy has identified the Columbia-class program as the U.S. Navy’s top priority program.

The U.S. Navy has planned to procure the first Columbia-class boat in FY2021. Research and development work on the program has been underway for several years, and advance procurement (AP) funding for the first boat began in FY2017. T

The British Navy has also planned to acquire Columbia-class submarine under the name of Dreadnought-class SSBN. This submarine will be armed with eight D-5 SLBMs, or half the number to be carried by the Columbia class. The modular design of the CMC (Common Missile Compartment) will accommodate this difference. The UK provided some of the funding for the design of the CMC, including a large portion of the initial funding

The Columbia-class submarine will be powered by electric-drive propulsion. It will use a nuclear reactor to generate energy, which will be converted into electrical power to fuel the electric propulsion motor. The submarine will be able to sail at a speed of more than 20 knots (37 km) and operate at a depth of 800 feet (250 m).

The Columbia-class design includes 16 SLBM (Submarine-Launched Ballistic Missile) tubes, as opposed to 24 SLBM tubes (of which 20 are now used for SLBMs) on Ohio-class SSBNs. Although the Columbia-class design has fewer SLBM tubes than the Ohio-class design, it is larger than the Ohio-class design in terms of submerged displacement.