![]() ![]() Newport News also builds Ford class aircraft carriers.Įlectric Boat and Newport News are preparing for the most significant increase in ship construction in over 30 years. Electric Boat is the prime contractor for design and construction of the Columbia class, with Newport News serving as its major subcontractor. shipbuilders-General Dynamics Electric Boat (Electric Boat) and Huntington Ingalls Industries Newport News Shipbuilding (Newport News)-design and build nuclear submarines. Since Australia has no SSBNs to protect, this removes one justification for the need for SSNs. One of the main purposes of smaller, faster, SSNs such as the Virginia class is to hunt enemy ballistic missile firing submarines – and to protect one’s own fleet of them. SSBNs are considered the most secure part of a country’s nuclear arsenal because they can remain undetected deep beneath the waves and therefore are far less susceptible to being wiped out in an enemy first strike. Designed to replace the ageing Ohio class, they will be able to launch 16 Trident D5 nuclear-tipped missiles with a range believed to be around 12,000km. These leviathans of the deep weigh around 21,000 tonnes – almost three times the displacement of a Virginia – and are 171 metres in length. Washington is committed to spending $132 billion (a whopping AU $187 billion) on 12 Columbia SSBNs and they are the largest and most complex submarines the US has ever built. However, if his report on the way ahead – due to be made public at the end of March – does not fully deal with these issues it will be just so much waffle to be dumped on the pile of good intentions. Whether the nuclear-powered task force led by VADM Jonathan Mead – which is costing about $500,000 per day – is taking this reality about US production difficulties into account is unknown. In doing so, he is toeing the RAN line – which after the cancellation of the “regionally superior” Attack class is fixated entirely on nuclear powered submarines, irrespective of the cost or schedule. Seemingly oblivious to this reality, Defence Minister Richard Marles has pre-empted both the Defence Strategic Review and the AUKUS announcement by ruling out the acquisition of a new class of conventionally powered submarines constructed in Adelaide. In other words, for the foreseeable future it will be impossible to ramp up the speed of the construction of the Virginia class – a further indication that if Australia will receive any, it will be at some very distant future point. Without updated long-term planning, the Navy cannot be certain that the fiscal year 2024 budget request will be sufficient to meet the production schedule it has planned for these submarine classes.” “However, long-term planning does not account for shared risks between these programs that are likely to present production challenges and could result in additional costs. The shipbuilder added staff to the Columbia class program who were originally planned for the Virginia class program, contributing to delays for that program. ![]() “Because of the Columbia class program’s essential role in strategic deterrence, it has priority status over most national defense related programs, including the Virginia class program. The shipbuilders are working to mitigate delays using additional shipyard resources, such as more staff to complete work more quickly. “After more than a year of full-scale construction of the lead Columbia submarine, the shipbuilders are facing delays because of challenges with design, materials and quality. In a report released on January 24, the GAO – the equivalent of the ANAO – made it clear that the Columbia program is in early trouble, saying: ![]() As the third component of the nuclear deterrence triangle – along with crewed bombers and ICBMs – the Columbia class are the USN’s highest priority acquisition. The US Government Accountability Office (GAO) has concluded that the country’s already overstretched industrial base faces increasing difficulties constructing Columbia nuclear missile firing SSBNs and this is already causing delays on the Virginia program. ![]()
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