The United States Navy has awarded nearly $77 billion in contracts for another series of nuclear-powered submarines. The contract modifications task General Dynamics Electric Boat and HII Newport News Shipbuilding with building nine Virginia-class fast-attack submarines and five Columbia-class ballistic missile submarines. The U.S. Navy included money for shipyard infrastructure in the deals.
“This historic investment underscores the … continued commitment to undersea superiority and the recapitalization of our nuclear triad,” U.S. Navy Vice Adm. Robert Gaucher, the Department of War submarine chief, said in a July 2026 statement. “By securing the continuous production of both the Columbia and Virginia classes, we ensure we will continue to deliver the world’s most lethal, survivable and resilient combat platform … while providing long-term stability to our shipbuilding industrial base.”
Ballistic-missile submarines (SSBNs) serve as the most survivable leg of the U.S. nuclear triad. The Columbia-class boats, the Sentinel intercontinental ballistic missile and the B-21 Raider stealth bomber will form the modernized triad. The U.S. Navy plans to take delivery of the first Columbia-class submarine in 2028. The service and General Dynamics Electric Boat designed the Columbia class to increase stealth, time at sea and sustainability compared with the 14 Ohio-class boats it will replace. The new contracts include $29.5 billion for Columbia-class Build II submarines that will carry Trident II D5 nuclear ballistic missiles.
For Virginia-class submarines, the contracts include $42.1 billion for future Block VI variants. The block structure designates upgrades in technology, weapons capability and design. Currently, shipyards are building Block V variants, which will introduce the Virginia Payload Module (VPM). Block VI submarines will use the 84-foot VPM hull extension to launch Tomahawk cruise missiles and future hypersonic weapons, according to the Stars and Stripes newspaper. The VPM also supports special operations troop deployments. The U.S. Navy also announced it will change the designation from fast-attack submarine (SSN) to guided missile submarine (SSGN) for future Virginia-class variants that carry VPMs, according to an August 2026 news release.
“Reclassifying Virginia Payload Module-equipped submarines as SSGNs accurately reflects the extraordinary strike capacity, operational flexibility and global reach these platforms bring to the fleet,” U.S. Navy Adm. Daryl Caudle, the chief of naval operations, said in the news release. “These submarines will provide our nation with a powerful and persistent deterrent, expand options for our combatant commanders, and ensure the Navy remains ready to fight and win whenever and wherever called upon.”
The U.S. Navy has seven Columbia-class submarines under contract, 26 active Virginia-class submarines and 23 additional Virginia-class boats planned for future construction, according to Defense News. HII Newport News Shipbuilding builds the bows, sterns and other modules for both submarine classes while General Dynamics Electric Boat builds the central reactor section. For the Columbia class, Electric Boat also builds the missile launch tubes, according to USNI News.
While the U.S. Navy awaits future submarines, the current Ohio-class and Virginia-class boats remain capable and ready. The USS Virginia, the lead submarine in its class, entered service in 2004. In August 2026, it completed a six-month deployment that covered more than 36,000 nautical miles and carried out three major missions in support of U.S. military operations.