By John LaForge
The Navy’s new Columbia class long-range nuclear missile submarines, costing over $9 billion each, are set to replace the current Trident submarine fleet which the Navy plans to retire starting in 2027. The Defense Acquisition Board has approved building 12 of the new nuclear weapons “platforms,” each with 16 Trident II D5 missiles which can carry 5 to 8 warheads. Construction of the first so-called “boomer,” the USS District of Columbia, began June 4, Bloomberg reported. According to the Government Accounting Office, the overall cost of the 12-boat program has blown past initial estimates by $3.4 billion, to a projected $112 billion. The first Columbia could be launched in 2031, and the Navy plans the fleet to operate until 2084.
Columbia Program Performance (fiscal year 2022 dollars in millions)
First full estimate (1/2017) Latest (2/2021) Percent increase
Development $13,814 [$13.8 billion] $14,232 [$14.2 billion] +3.0%
Procurement $95,485 [$95.5 billion] $97,684 [$97.7 billion] +2.3%
Unit cost $ 9,121 [$ 9.1 billion] $ 9,355 [$ 9.3 billion] +2.6%
Boats in class 12 12
— Source: Government Accounting Office: https://www.gao.gov/assets/gao-22-105230.pdf
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