Nonetheless, both the Navy and General Dynamics Electric Boat - the contractor building the Columbia class - say the project is progressing according to plan. Scott Pappano, the program executive officer for strategic submarines, during a Hudson Institute seminar in June. “That is a must-meet requirement for that class,” said Rear Adm. Any glitch in the schedule could have rippling effects across the service’s entire shipbuilding operations, senior Navy leaders have said. The USS District of Columbia (SSBN 826) - the first of 12 such vessels - is scheduled to be delivered in 2027 and ready to patrol by 2031, even as the service has to move forward with other projects. The service considers replenishment of the nation’s undersea leg of the nuclear triad as its highest priority. Still, the work has begun for the Columbia-class submarine and must go on, said Navy officials. The Trident submarines it would replace are going to be pressed into service for years after their initial projected life expectancy.
The estimated $15.2 billion price tag for the first boat, a lack of skilled labor, supply chain concerns and a tight timetable are key hurdles. Recommended! My thanks to Gary Newman of Squadron Products for the review kit and IPMS/USA for the opportunity to review it.The design and construction of the next ballistic missile submarine entails addressing a host of unprecedented challenges for the Navy, according to service officials and experts. This is a great little kit with great fit, lots of options, and a cool subject. A couple coats of flat and it was finished. I added a black wash to bring out the highlights. They still looks good, but they’re not accurate. The decals for the SSN-721 folded over for the sail and I just couldn’t save them. Once dry, I added the decals and here I ran into a problem. I followed with brass for the prop and then I sealed the entire thing with Alclad clear.
This was masked off and a dark gray was used. After the surface was prepped, I sprayed the bottom Tamiya Hull Red. There is an excellent full-color page showing markings and color numbers. The sail was assembled and the periscopes left off. I used the injection molded prop, as it had the correct bend to it. Some of the parts are small, so be careful not to lose them. I assembled the hull first a little putty was required, but not much. The kit is well molded and fit is good throughout. I elected to build SSN-721, the USS Chicago, which is a 688I class with no diving planes on the sail and has the VLS system. To detail the kit, there is a sprue of detail parts, a stand, a photo etch fret with props, and a label for the base. To do this, there are one lower hull, two upper hulls, two different sails, and a stand.
HobbyBoss’ new kit is a “3 in 1,” which means that there are options to build a 688, a 688 with VLS, or a 688I. They are configured for under-ice operations in that their forward diving planes have been moved from the sail structure to the bow and the sail has been strengthened for breaking through ice.
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