U.S. Navy is closing in on a deal to buy 15 nuclear submarines after long negotiations driven by soaring materials and labor costs. Despite the government shutdown, officials now want the contract signed by the end of the year a good moment to look at what these platforms actually cost.
According to USNI News, talks are ongoing between the Navy and the shipbuilders Huntington Ingalls Industries' Newport News and General Dynamics' Electric Boat. The funding package will cover not only the boats themselves but pay increases for workers and support for the supplier base.
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Breaking the purchase down: ten multi-mission Virginia-class submarines in a new Block VI configuration are first on the list. While total funding figures for the lot aren't published, the lead ship Potomac (SSN-814) received $1.5 billion in FY2024 and another $3.6 billion in FY2025; an additional $3.7 billion was allocated for follow-on buys in 2026–2027.
The new iteration retains the Virginia Payload Module (VPM), increasing payload capacity (for weapons such as Tomahawk cruise missiles) by lengthening the hull from 115 m to 140 m, and adds improvements in stealth, propulsion and systems including integration of a fiber-optic-tethered drone.
The other five boats are Columbia-class ballistic-missile submarines the sea-based leg of the U.S. nuclear triad. While the contract price for this buy wasn't fully disclosed, the third Columbia, Groton (SSBN-828), is estimated at $10.54 billion.
The entire Columbia program of 12 boats is projected to cost about $128 billion, roughly $10.67 billion per hull by that broad calculation large numbers, but unsurprising for strategic systems.
In short, this is a significant step to replace Ohio-class boats and sustain strategic deterrent and undersea strike capacity. Note that the Navy will ultimately need many Virginias with VPM (Blocks V and VI) around 20 hulls so executing this 15-boat buy on schedule matters. Any delay now will push back the boats operational readiness.
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