Navy Considering Life Extensions For 5 Missile Boats

The U.S. Navy is looking at extending the service lives of some of its oldest ballistic missile submarines, reports the USNI News.

Under the plan, five Ohio-class subs would undergo an 18-month refit to support a requirement to surge 10 ballistic missile boats as a strategic nuclear contingency while the new Columbia-class subs enter service, service officials said on Tuesday.

The District of Columbia (SSBN-826), the lead sub in the new class, is scheduled to begin her first patrol in 2030.

However, there are concerns that the new boats could run into teething issues at the same time that the aging Ohios face greater risk of component failure.

In addition, the latest Trident II D5 Life Extension II submarine-launched ballistic missiles will need to be tested on both sub classes.

The officials said that while the Columbia-class program remains on schedule, a six-month buffer built into the program has been whittled down to one month due the COVID-19 pandemic and early issues with the digital design systems used to build the boats.