U.S. Navy and Pentagon officials overseeing development of the $132 billion next-generation submarine are unsure if it can be built before the 2031 target, reports Bloomberg with reference to the unpublished September report of the Accounts Chamber.
It follows from the document that Navy and Pentagon officials did not receive the necessary data on the work schedule and statistical information. The new submarine is being built by General Dynamics Corp. and Huntington Ingalls Industries Inc. A General Dynamics spokesman told the agency that the first submarine was about a third complete and declined to comment on the Accounts Chamber’s report.
Bloomberg reported that the document refers to 12 Columbia-class nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines to replace a fleet of 14 Ohio-class submarines. The agency noted that the Columbia submarines are considered by the United States as a key component of nuclear deterrence in the second half of the 21st century, along with intercontinental ballistic missiles and air-launched weapons. The first copy will cost Congress $15 billion, the publication reported.