CRITICAL STAGE

摘要

At $122.3 billion, the Columbia-class program is one of the Navy's very top priorities. The oldest SSBN in the Ohio class, Henry M. Jackson (the first four Ohio-class boats were converted into guided-missile submarines, or SSGNs), began construction in the 1980s and is almost 34 years old. As a result, the Navy knows it needs to field one of the new submarines in the next 10 years in order for operational needs to be met. But some welding problems discovered on the missile tubes have thrown the sub's timeline into doubt. The Columbia-class program is approaching a critical fiscal year as it hopes to field this capability on time, and there are several risks that pose a threat to the schedule. The Columbia-class program is currently in the engineering and manufacturing development phase, and the Navy is conducting detail design and production planning, William Couch, a spokesman for Naval Sea Systems Command, said in an email response to questions from Seapower.