Overview
- Navy officials said on Nov. 12–13 that the service has largely finished its analysis of alternatives for SSN(X) and will seek Milestone A, the formal approval to begin early development, by the end of the year.
- The Navy set five firm performance goals for SSN(X): higher flank and tactical speeds, improved operational availability, decisive lethality, superior stealth and layered survivability, and built‑in hosting and command of robotic and autonomous undersea systems.
- A Congressional Budget Office review circulated to planners shows SSN(X) could be roughly a 10,000‑ton submarine and cost about $9 billion per hull on average, highlighting major program scale and fiscal pressure.
- Pentagon submarine leaders say delivering the first Columbia‑class ballistic submarine in 2028 is still possible, with Vice Adm. Rob Gaucher calling it “absolutely achievable” after shipyards enacted a 2025 acceleration plan to recover earlier workforce and supplier shortfalls.
- Partners are expanding unmanned surface and underwater fleets even as they wrestle with endurance, sea‑state and secure communications limits, a shift that will change submarine tactics, increase shipyard and supply‑chain demand, and alter sailors’ mission roles.