Feb 18, 2026 - Technology

First Columbia-class sub delivery expected in 2028

Colin Demarest

Black military submarine surfacing in blue ocean water under a partly cloudy sky with an American flag flying on its conning tower. — An artist's rendering of the Columbia-class submarine. Image: U.S. Navy/DVIDS

The first Columbia-class ballistic missile submarine, the District of Columbia, is 66% complete and is now expected to be delivered in 2028, according to a U.S. Navy official.

The second, the Wisconsin, is 35% complete. The third, the Groton, is 10% complete.

Why it matters: Columbia-class subs have long ranked as the service's No. 1 priority. They will be armed with nuclear weapons, like the aging Ohio-class they succeed.

Driving the news: Program Executive Officer for Strategic Subs Rear Adm. Todd Weeks provided an update on the boomers at the WEST naval conference in San Diego.

"With Columbia, we've been on a steady ramp up to full-rate construction, and we will hit full-rate construction in 2031," he said.

Friction point: American shipbuilding has been beset by workforce woes and schedule slips.

"This time last year, we sat down with our shipbuilding partners and we realized that we were not where we needed to be on the District of Columbia," Weeks said.

Zoom out: Trump 2.0 has fixated on seapower. Take, for example, the Golden Fleet.

Go deeper: Navy unveils "ShipOS" with Palantir to speed up shipbuilding

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First Columbia-class sub delivery expected in 2028

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