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United States In development General Dynamics Electric Boat
Columbia-class Submarine
Next-generation ballistic-missile submarine set to replace the aging Ohio class as the sea-based leg of the U.S. nuclear triad, featuring a life-of-boat reactor core that eliminates the need for mid-life refueling.
Planned service entry 2027 · 1 operator countries
Compiled from public sources ·primary reference ↗ ·last verified 2026-07-02
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20,810
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155
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💲 ≈ $9,400,000,000, Matches the Navy's FY2025 budget estimate for the second Columbia-class boat, about $9.28 billion in procurement cost, a follow-on unit cost rather than the lead boat. The lead boat, District of Columbia, runs closer to $15.2 billion because it absorbs most of the class's non-recurring design and engineering costs.
Procurement snapshot
Availability & export
US ITAR-controlled
Export needs U.S. State Dept (DDTC) approval; end-use & re-transfer restrictions apply.
Channel: Foreign Military Sales (FMS) or Direct Commercial Sale
Development status
Limited · 1 operator
Planned service entry 2027. Status: announced.
Lifecycle cost (est.)
$24B – $33B
Acquisition is only ~30% of lifecycle cost, operating & support dominate over ~30 yrs. Rough 2.5–3.5× the unit price. How we estimate this →
Interoperability
Derived guidance from public data, export regime by country of origin, lifecycle from the GAO ~30% acquisition rule. Verify eligibility, pricing and offsets with the manufacturer and your acquisition authority.
Compatible munitions & weapons
Publicly reported weapons the Columbia-class Submarine can carry. Linked items have a full spec page.
Full specifications
Firepower
Armament, payload and guidance.
| VLS cells Vertical-launch missile cells on a warship, a proxy for magazine depth. Higher means more missiles before rearming. | 16 |
|---|
Physical
Dimensions, weight and crew.
| Length Overall length including gun/probe where applicable. | 170.7 m |
|---|
Program
Cost, production scale and operators.
| Unit cost Approximate flyaway/unit cost where public. Defense pricing varies hugely by contract, offsets and configuration. Lower is cheaper. | $9,400,000,000 |
|---|---|
| Units built Total production run. Higher means proven manufacturing, mature logistics and spares availability. | 0 |
| Operator countries Number of countries operating the system. More operators means broader support ecosystem. | 1 |
Specifications compiled from public General Dynamics Electric Boat and reference sources ↗. Published defense figures are approximations, treat comparisons as directional. Last verified 2026-07-02.
Compare with rivals
See how it stacks up
Rotterdamsche Droogdok Maatschappij (RDM) Walrus class 
Naval Group Suffren class Head-to-head comparisons
Columbia-class Submarine vs
Borei-class Frequently asked questions
What is the General Dynamics Electric Boat Columbia-class Submarine used for? +
The General Dynamics Electric Boat Columbia-class Submarine is a submarine typically used for deep strike.
How many countries operate the General Dynamics Electric Boat Columbia-class Submarine? +
The General Dynamics Electric Boat Columbia-class Submarine is operated by 1 countries.
How much does the General Dynamics Electric Boat Columbia-class Submarine cost? +
The General Dynamics Electric Boat Columbia-class Submarine has an approximate unit cost of 9,400,000,000 USD. Defense pricing varies by contract, offsets and configuration, treat this as directional.
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