General Dynamics Electric Boat Secures Major Contract for Revolutionary Columbia-Class Submarines with the US Navy

General Dynamics Electric Boat (GDEB), a division of General Dynamics (GD), has revealed that the U.S. Navy has granted it a $9.474 billion contract amendment option for the development and testing of the lead and second vessels of the Columbia class, along with related design and engineering assistance.

Electric Boat is the primary contractor on the Columbia initiative, which aims to substitute the outdated Ohio class of ballistic missile submarines.

Electric Boat will undertake roughly 78% of the assembly of the Columbia class and has recently transitioned the program to large-scale production at the company’s manufacturing hub in Quonset Point, Rhode Island. Four of the six ‘supermodules’ will be constructed at Electric Boat’s Quonset Point facility.

The supermodules will subsequently be ferried by barge to the company’s Final Test and Assembly location in Groton, Connecticut, where they will be integrated into a complete submarine within a 200,000 square-foot center currently under development specifically for the Columbia class.

General Dynamics reported recently that the design readiness for Columbia is nearly 90% finalized, almost double the design completion level of the lead Virginia-class submarine at the commencement of its construction.

“Electric Boat has been preparing for the construction of the Columbia class for almost a decade, including enhancing the design of this essential Navy asset, recruiting and training thousands of skilled craftspeople, upgrading our facilities, and helping to strengthen the supply chain. Consequently, Columbia’s design is more sophisticated than that of any earlier submarine program,” stated Kevin Graney, President of General Dynamics Electric Boat.

“We are appreciative of the steadfast backing of the Navy and Congress in securing financing to maintain the continuity of this vital program,” he continued.

Measuring 560 feet in length with a displacement of almost 21,000 tons, the submarines of the Columbia class will be the largest ever constructed by the United States. Vessels of the Columbia class will feature a life-of-ship fuel core that will power the submarine throughout its entire operational lifespan, eliminating the necessity for mid-service refueling. Electric Boat is set to deliver the lead vessel to the Navy in 2027.

General Dynamics stands as a worldwide aerospace and defense enterprise that provides an extensive array of products and services in areas such as business aviation; combat vehicles, armaments, and munitions; IT solutions; C4ISR systems; as well as shipbuilding and repair.

General Dynamics employs over 100,000 individuals globally and achieved $39.4 billion in revenue in 2019.