In May 2019, HII announced it had cut the first steel plate for the maiden vessel. General Dynamics Electric Boat won the contract to build the new submarines in 2016, and will receive help and expertise from Huntington Ingalls Industries’ (HII) Newport News Shipbuilding. Twelve future submarines of the Columbia class are planned for construction with the first beginning in 2021. However, the Federation of American Scientists (FAS) reported in 2019 that the US Navy has experienced problems with its electric drive system, which required extensive repair and led to a nine-month delay. Above all, electric drive is expected to be quieter and save running costs. One of the key features of the Columbia class is its electric drive propulsion system, which is different to the mechanical drive system used by other navies. In a 300 page document, US Congress set out the specifications for the new Columbia class under the Ohio Replacement programme.Īccording to the Ohio Replacement project document, it will be similar in size to the Ohio class but will be heavier at a displacement of 21,144t compared to the Ohio’s displacement of 19,041t. Similar to the Dreadnought class, the Columbia class was announced in 2014 to replace the US Navy’s Ohio-class ballistic submarines. The high initial cost projects of the programme has come under scrutiny from various anti-nuclear groups such as the Nuclear Information Service (as reported by the Telegraph) and The Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, who have said that the true lifetime cost of the future submarines could be as high as £170bn and £205bn respectively. The Dreadnought class’s armament includes four 21in torpedo tubes to fire BAE’s Spearfish heavyweight torpedoes, and 12 ballistic missile tubes that act as the nuclear deterrent and fire up to 12 Lockheed Trident II D-5 submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBMs), each carrying eight warheads.
It will use the Rolls-Royce PWR3 nuclear reactor, a US design that is said to be simpler and safer than the PWR2 nuclear reactor on the Vanguard class, while also having a longer lifespan and lower maintenance requirements. It will be larger than the previous class, with a length of around 153.6m and a total displacement of 17,200t.
The new Dreadnought class, built by BAE Systems, is expected to replace the existing Vanguard class within the Royal Navy.
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