The brief

Analyst view

• Navy simultaneously builds two submarine classes: Columbia-class ballistic and Virginia-class attack boats.
• NAVSEA placed ~120 additive-made parts in development, installed 20 in submarines, removed 1,400+ delay days.
• Advanced manufacturing reduces lead times 70%, overcoming casting and forging bottlenecks.

Technical approach

As reported

Materials

Metal 3D printing for submarine parts

Navy produces complex metal components impossible to forge or cast, dramatically reducing production time.

Scale

Production adoption

Printed parts integrate into new submarines as standard components, shifting from experimental to production.

Supply chain

Unblocking bottlenecks

Moving from casting and forging—which have long lead times—unlocks submarine production capacity.