Navy formally announces Columbia-class milestone decision

The Navy today formally announced the Columbia-class program had cleared milestone B on Jan. 4.

"Milestone B enables the program to move into the Engineering and Manufacturing Development phase where we will focus our attention on achieving an 83 percent design maturity prior to construction start in 2021, and ensuring we meet the requirements necessary to meet 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."

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.