Navy’s New DDG(X) Destroyer Utilizing Developmental Strategies of Virginia & Columbia-class Submarines

Video Above: Columbia Class Ballistic Missile Submarine

By Kris Osborn – President & Editor-In-Chief, Warrior Maven

The Navy’s ongoing detailed design work on its DDG(X) next-generation destroyer is benefitting from developmental strategies employed in several large service acquisition programs such as the Virginia and Columbia-class submarines.

Both of these large submarine acquisition programs continue to receive widespread praise for their developmental success, and the service is making a specific effort to learn from and draw upon the success of those programs. 

DDG(X) Destroyer and Columbia Submarines

“Colombia has gotten a lot of press recently in the last several years about a thing called the IPD process, and how successful that is, and there’s a lot of interest in that we are very much examining that. And figuring out what parts of that is smart for us to do the DDG(X) program,” Katie Connelly, the deputy program manager for the DDG(X) program office, told an audience at the 2022 Surface Navy Association Symposium.

A big part of the strategy involves ongoing detailed design work intended to refine concepts and move toward a new hull form.

“We are currently in concept formulation, and we plan to enter preliminary design when appropriate. The CNO (Chief of Naval Operations) top level requirements were approved in December 2020 and formed the CDD. Our acquisition strategy is still under development,” Connelly said.