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GAO: Design Delays on Columbia Sub Program Leading to Construction Delays, Cost Increases
Artist’s rendering of the Columbia-class SSBN submarine. US Navy Image
The Government Accountability Office released a new report that warns Columbia-class ballistic-missile submarine cost and schedule plans are at risk due to problems with a new digital design tool and cascading effects stemming from the design challenges.
The report – Columbia Class Submarine: Delivery Hinges on Timely and Quality Materials from an Atrophied Supplier Base – explains that Columbia program prime contractor “Electric Boat faces persistent problems with its design tool leading to cost increases and schedule delays during the design phase. Late completion of design products threatens to impede construction progress and indicates challenges in the Columbia class program’s ability to achieve the lead submarine’s construction.”