Huntington Ingalls showed off footage of cutting the first steel plate of the new Columbia-class (SSBN 826) ballistic missile submarine at Newport News Shipbuilding in Virginia last week.
The 12 Columbias will replace the 14 Trident II Ohio-class SSBNs, the newest of which, USS Louisiana (SSBN-743), is pushing into her 22nd year on active duty.
The Navy’s proposed FY2020 budget asks for $1.7 billion in advance funding and $533.1 million in R&D funding for the program, which will cost many times that amount.
Columbia, with a planned 50-year service life, is expected to enter service in 2031.
While the Ohios carry up to 24 Trident D5s, the Columbias are designed to tote 16 Trident D5s, in addition to their self-defense torpedo tubes. U.S. Navy illustration 190306-N-N0101-125