U.S. Navy to receive first Columbia-class nuclear submarine in 2028.

The U.S. Navy plans to receive its first Columbia-class nuclear submarine, the USS District of Columbia (SSBN-826), in 2028 as part of the replacement program for the aging Ohio-class fleet. 

As reported by Breaking Defense on February 12, 2026, the U.S. Navy plans to receive its first Columbia-class nuclear submarine in 2028 as part of the replacement program for the aging 14 Ohio-class ballistic missile submarine fleet. The lead submarine, USS District of Columbia (SSBN-826), is currently approximately 65–66 percent complete, with full module delivery achieved at General Dynamics Electric Boat in Groton, Connecticut, with full-rate production targeted for 2031 to sustain continuous at-sea nuclear deterrence.
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The U.S. Navy confirmed that the first Columbia-class ballistic missile submarine, USS District of Columbia (SSBN-826), is approximately 65 to 66 percent complete and is expected to be delivered in 2028. (Picture source: U.S. Navy)

The U.S. Navy confirmed that the first Columbia-class ballistic missile submarine, USS District of Columbia (SSBN-826), is approximately 65 to 66 percent complete and is expected to be delivered in 2028 following the implementation of an acceleration plan intended to recover schedule margin. Rear Admiral Todd Weeks, Program Executive Officer Strategic Submarines, stated at WEST 2026 in San Diego that the Columbia-class is progressing toward full-rate construction in 2031 while maintaining a Fiscal Year 2028 delivery objective for the lead ship. The submarine had originally been scheduled for delivery in 2027, but earlier production assessments identified insufficient progress and negative schedule trends, prompting coordinated corrective measures with General Dynamics Electric Boat and Huntington Ingalls Industries’ Newport News Shipbuilding.

In 2024, the U.S. Navy indicated that workforce shortages and supply chain constraints were affecting multiple shipbuilding programs and could generate a 12 to 16-month delay for the USS District of Columbia, and Weeks told lawmakers in April that a 12 to 18-month delay was possible. The revised plan is structured to support a delivery in 2028, followed by entry into service in 2031 and a first deterrent patrol targeted for Fiscal Year 2030 as Ohio-class retirements begin. The acceleration effort required the delivery of all 26 major modules forming the USS District of Columbia to the final assembly yard at General Dynamics Electric Boat in Groton, Connecticut, by the end of 2025, an objective that the U.S. Navy stated was achieved.

The last major module, the bow section produced by Newport News Shipbuilding in Virginia, was delivered in November 2025, several months earlier than the acceleration plan’s internal schedule, which had projected its delivery in June 2026. With all primary sections at Groton, final assembly and integration activities could proceed in sequence within the purpose-built facility on the Thames River. The construction of Columbia-class submarines follows a teaming arrangement similar to the Virginia-class model, with Electric Boat responsible for the central hull sections and final assembly, Newport News constructs the bow and stern modules, and subcontractors provide propulsion components and other long-lead items.

The Navy intends to achieve pressure hull completion for the lead ship by the end of 2026, conduct water entry in 2027, and complete trials ahead of delivery in 2028. The Columbia-class will replace the 14 ballistic missile submarines of the Ohio-class, whose retirements are scheduled at a rate of one per year beginning in 2027 and 2028 as they reach the end of extended 42-year service lives. The new class consists of 12 planned submarines, each designed for a 42-year operational lifespan without mid-life nuclear refueling, enabling greater availability per hull and reducing the total number of submarines required to maintain a continuous at-sea deterrence. Each Columbia-class submarine is expected to complete up to 124 deterrent patrols during its service life, supporting the sea-based leg of the U.S. nuclear triad into the 2080s.

The U.S. Navy’s force structure planning assumes approximately 10 operationally available SSBNs at any given time to meet patrol requirements across both the Atlantic and Pacific theaters. To mitigate potential schedule shortfalls during the transition period, the U.S. Navy has examined extending the service life of selected Ohio-class submarines, including a discussion of extending up to five hulls if required to avoid a coverage gap. The USS Wisconsin (SSBN-827), the second submarine in the class, is now reported as approximately 35 percent complete and remains aligned with an on-schedule delivery objective in 2030. The third boat, USS Groton (SSBN-828), is approximately 10 percent complete as the production capacity ramps toward a one-submarine-per-year cadence beginning in Fiscal Year 2026, before reaching full-rate construction in 2031.

On October 10, 2025, the U.S. Senate passed the Fiscal Year 2026 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) by a 77 to 20 vote, authorizing the procurement of up to five Columbia-class submarines beginning in FY2026, with payments for subsequent years subject to appropriations. On November 20, 2025, the U.S. Navy awarded a $2.283 billion contract modification to General Dynamics Electric Boat for advanced procurement and early construction work on SSBN-828 through SSBN-832, with performance extending through December 2031. FY2026 budget figures include $10.543 billion in procurement funding and $1.925 billion in reconciliation funding, with $1.352 billion allocated to Maritime Industrial Base initiatives supporting infrastructure, suppliers, and workforce growth. 

Each Columbia-class submarine will measure approximately 171 meters in length with a beam of 13 meters and a submerged displacement of about 20,810 long tons, equivalent to roughly 21,140 metric tons. The class incorporates 16 ballistic missile launch tubes with an 87-inch diameter, compared with 24 tubes on the original Ohio-class configuration, and is compatible with the Trident II D5LE missile family, with D5LE2 integration planned to begin with the ninth hull. The Common Missile Compartment is jointly developed with the United Kingdom for compatibility with the Royal Navy’s Dreadnought-class submarines and uses modular quad-pack arrangements that standardize launcher interfaces and manufacturing processes.

The sonar suite includes an enlarged Large Aperture Bow array derived from the Virginia-class, supported by flank and towed arrays for wideband passive detection. The Columbia submarines also retain Mk 48 heavyweight torpedoes for self-defense, while the planned crew complement is approximately 155 personnel, with accommodations designed for extended patrol cycles. Propulsion is based on the S1B nuclear reactor, engineered to power the submarine for its full 42-year service life without refueling, thereby eliminating the need for mid-life overhauls required on earlier classes. Steam generated by the reactor drives turbine generators supplied by Northrop Grumman, converting thermal energy into electrical power distributed throughout the vessel.

A permanent magnet propulsion motor supplied by Leonardo DRS, delivered in August 2022 for the lead ship, drives a pump-jet propulsor through a turbo-electric system that eliminates reduction gears and reduces mechanical noise signatures. Earlier schedule pressure was linked in part to late turbine generator deliveries and to sequencing challenges involving bow module completion, which affected the timing of pressure hull closure, now expected by the end of 2026. Reactors for the first three submarines are in serial production, and naval nuclear propulsion officials have stated that the life-of-ship cores remain aligned with a water entry in 2027 for the USS District of Columbia (SSBN-826), which will be followed by subsequent trials leading to FY2028 delivery. 

Cost figures for the Columbia-class program vary by fiscal year baseline. One projection cites $109.8 billion in FY2021 dollars for 12 Columbia-class submarines, with an average unit cost of $9.15 billion, while another figure references approximately $136 billion in total for the class. The lead submarine, the USS District of Columbia, has been cited at $15.03 billion, including program planning costs, while earlier FY2010 estimates projected $4.2 billion for design and technology development, $6.2 billion to construct the lead boat, and a target of $4.9 billion for each of the remaining 11 submarines. The total lifecycle cost for the Columbia-class has been estimated at $347 billion, reflecting procurement, operations, and sustainment through 2085. The Columbia-class program, the Navy’s primary long-term acquisition effort for sustaining the sea-based nuclear deterrent, is directly tied to avoiding any reduction in the number of deployable ballistic missile submarines available to sustain continuous deterrent patrols as the Ohio-class fleet retires.

Written by Jérôme Brahy

Jérôme Brahy is a defense analyst and documentalist at Army Recognition. He specializes in naval modernization, aviation, drones, armored vehicles, and artillery, with a focus on strategic developments in the United States, China, Ukraine, Russia, Türkiye, and Belgium. His analyses go beyond the facts, providing context, identifying key actors, and explaining why defense news matters on a global scale.