US Navy's Columbia-Class Submarine Enter Engineering Development Phase

US Navy’s Columbia-class submarine program has cleared milestone B last week, allowing the submarine to move into the Engineering and Manufacturing Development phase.

During this engineering, Manufacturing development phase, the focus would be achieving an 83 percent design maturity prior to construction start in 2021, InsideDefense reported today.

“We also ensure that we meet the requirements necessary for a successful Production Readiness Review, our next major program event," Capt. David Goggins, Columbia program director, said in a Jan. 9 statement.

"The Navy is committed to delivering Columbia on time and within budget while taking advantage of every opportunity to achieve further cost savings." Goggins added.

The Columbia class will replace the legacy Ohio-class nuclear ballistic submarine fleet. The first Columbia-class boat is scheduled for deployment in fiscal year 2031.