Fourteen submarines, one shared industrial base
Published August 3, 2026 / Columbia-class and Virginia-class supplier overlap, FY2021-FY2025
The U.S. Navy has announced contract awards totaling $76.6B for five Columbia-class submarines, nine Virginia-class submarines and previously awarded shipyard productivity efforts.
The production goal is two Virginia-class submarines per year. GAO reported that shipbuilders were operating at roughly one per year as of June 2025, while the lead Columbia-class boat is at least 18 months behind its contract delivery date.
contract awards and previously awarded productivity efforts
distinct supplier CAGEs identified on Columbia
distinct supplier CAGEs identified on Virginia
supplier CAGEs appeared on both programs
Five Columbia-class submarines, nine Virginia-class submarines and previously awarded shipyard productivity efforts.
The package lands against an existing production gap: the Navy goal is two Virginia-class submarines per year, but GAO reported a pace of roughly one per year as of June 2025.
At least 18 months behind its contract delivery date.
The programs draw on the same supplier base
Mimir-mapped first-tier CAGEs, FY2021-FY2025
The overlap shows how much of the Columbia and Virginia ramp runs through the same first-tier suppliers. Of 421 distinct supplier CAGEs identified on Columbia and 437 on Virginia, 257 appeared on both programs.
CAGEs on each program served both programs.
of net reported Virginia-class subcontract value went to CAGEs also serving Columbia.
Separately, the Navy told CRS in 2024 that about 70% of critical submarine suppliers were sole-source.
Shared suppliers in critical capability areas
The overlap becomes more useful when grouped by constrained capability areas, including power and propulsion, forgings, heavy fabrication, valves and flow control.
Power / propulsion / launch
Northrop Grumman - power, propulsion and launch systems
Leonardo DRS - electric propulsion and power systems
Forgings / heavy fabrication
Scot Forge - forgings
Rhoads Metal Fabrications and Austal USA - heavy fabrication
Valves / flow control
Curtiss-Wright, Portland Valve, VACCO and Hunt Valve
also appeared on Ford-class carriers or DDG-51 destroyers, showing that some of the same suppliers sit across multiple high-value naval production lines.
What the signal says
Overlap is not evidence of a bottleneck by itself.
But it shows where the production ramp must occur.
Expansion has started.
A Navy-industry partnership involving Austal USA is developing Alabama Shipyard for submarine-module manufacturing.
The constraints are not only at the shipyards.
Wider Navy investment is also going into constrained areas such as castings, forgings and valves.
CAGE refers to the Commercial and Government Entity code used to identify supplier entities and sites.
Sources: U.S. Navy, GAO, CRS, USAspending, FPDS, company disclosures, Mimir Data Platform and Modeling. FY2021-FY2025 supplier counts and values were recalculated under Reported subcontract value v3. Figures rounded where shown; unresolved CAGEs excluded. Top 25 ranked by combined Columbia and Virginia net reported subcontract value.