According to a PR published by Leonardo DRS on April 4, 2023, the company announced that it has been awarded contracts valued at over $1 billion, when fully funded, to provide the integrated electric propulsion components for the U.S. Navy’s next-generation Columbia-class submarine.
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Model of the future submarine USS District of Columbia. (Picture source: US Navy)
The Columbia-class submarine is a top priority program for the U.S. Navy and will replace the fleet of Ohio-class ballistic missile submarines.
The integrated electric propulsion components will be manufactured in the company’s Fitchburg, Massachusetts, Menominee Falls, Wisconsin, and Danbury, Connecticut facilities. Additional content will be manufactured in the DRS High Ridge, Missouri facility.
About the Columbia class
The Columbia class is a type of Ballistic Missile Submarine (SSBN). It has a submerged displacement of 20,810 long tons (21,140 t), a length of 560 feet (171 m), and a beam of 43 feet (13 m). The submarine is powered by a nuclear reactor and uses a turbo-electric drive and pump-jet propulsion, giving it an unlimited range.
The Columbia class submarine has a complement of 155 crew members for accommodation. She is equipped with an enlarged version of the Virginia-class LAB sonar for sensors and processing systems.
The armament of the Columbia class submarine includes 16 Trident D5 missiles (to be upgraded to D5LE2s from the ninth submarine onward after fiscal year 2039) and twin torpedo tubes.
