General Dynamics Electric Boat Columbia-class Submarine vs General Dynamics Electric Boat Virginia-class Submarine
General Dynamics Electric Boat Columbia-class Submarine and General Dynamics Electric Boat Virginia-class Submarine are both submarine, compared here on public specifications. The General Dynamics Electric Boat Columbia-class Submarine leads on vls cells (16 vs 12).
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Full data
Full spec sheet
 General Dynamics Electric Boat Columbia-class Submarine
Wins 1/5 | General Dynamics Electric Boat Virginia-class Submarine
Wins 4/5 | |
|---|---|---|
| Firepower | ||
| VLS cells | 16 ✓ | 12 |
| Torpedo tubes | N/A | 4 |
| Physical | ||
| Length (m) | 170.7 m | 114.9 m |
| Naval | ||
| Displacement (t) | 20,810 t | 7,900 t |
| Max speed (kn) | 20 kn | 25 kn ✓ |
| Submerged speed (kn) | 20 kn | 25 kn ✓ |
| Test depth (m) | N/A | 240 m |
| Complement | 155 | 135 |
| Program | ||
| Unit cost (USD) | $9,400,000,000 | $3,450,000,000 ✓ |
| Units built | 0 | 24 ✓ |
| Operator countries | 1 | 1 |
Frequently asked questions
Which is cheaper? +
The General Dynamics Electric Boat Virginia-class Submarine has the lower public unit-cost figure at 3,450,000,000 USD. Treat this as directional, defense pricing varies by contract and configuration.
Which has the higher vls cells? +
The General Dynamics Electric Boat Columbia-class Submarine has the higher vls cells at 16.
Which has the higher max speed? +
The General Dynamics Electric Boat Virginia-class Submarine has the higher max speed at 25 kn.
Which has the higher submerged speed? +
The General Dynamics Electric Boat Virginia-class Submarine has the higher submerged speed at 25 kn.
Which has the higher units built? +
The General Dynamics Electric Boat Virginia-class Submarine has the higher units built at 24.
Which has the higher operator countries? +
The General Dynamics Electric Boat Columbia-class Submarine has the higher operator countries at 1.
Is the General Dynamics Electric Boat Columbia-class Submarine better than the General Dynamics Electric Boat Virginia-class Submarine? +
On the public specs we track, the General Dynamics Electric Boat Virginia-class Submarine leads on 4 of 6 headline metrics, see the full spec sheet for the metric-by-metric breakdown.
Where does this comparison data come from? +
Every figure in the table is sourced from public manufacturer pages, defense-ministry releases and reference publications, and is verifiable on each system's spec page. WeaponSpecs does not accept vendor placement.
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