Constellation-class frigate

The Constellation-class multi-mission guided-missile frigates of the United States Navy are based on the European multipurpose frigates (FREMM), already in service with the French and Italian navies. Constellation follows the modular but problematic littoral combat ships of the Freedom and Independence classes.[13] The U.S. Navy announced the FFG(X) frigate project in the United States Department of Defense's Request For Information (RFI) on 10 July 2017.[12][14]

An artist's rendering of the final Constellation-class design
Class overview
NameConstellation class
BuildersFincantieri Marinette Marine
Operators United States Navy (projected)
Preceded by
Cost
  • US$1.28 billion for the first ship[1]
  • US$1.05 billion for the second ship[1]
Built2022–present
In commission2026 (planned)[2]
Planned20[3]
On order6
Building1
General characteristics
TypeGuided-missile frigate
Displacement7,291 tons, fully loaded[4]
Length496 ft (151.18 m)[4]
Beam65 ft (19.81 m)[4]
Propulsion
  • CODLAG
    • 1 × General Electric LM2500+G4 gas turbine;[5]
    • 2 × electric propulsion motors (EPM)Jeumont 2 x 2.2MW;
    • 4 × ship service diesel generators Rolls-Royce MTU 20V 4000 M53B engine 3000 kW for a Total output of 12MW;
    • Reduction Gears (MRGs) - Timken Power Systems orbought Philadelphia Gear's;
    • 2 x Propellers - Fixed Pitch;
    • 1 × auxiliary propulsion unit Thrustmasters of Texas Hydrologic Retractable Thruster[4]
SpeedIn excess of 26 kn (48 km/h; 30 mph)
Range6,000 nmi (11,000 km; 6,900 mi) at 16 kn (30 km/h; 18 mph), electric drive
Boats & landing
craft carried		2 × rigid-hulled inflatable boats
Capacity200 accommodations
Complement24 officers and 176 enlisted crew
Sensors and
processing systems
Electronic warfare
& decoys
Armament
Aircraft carried

The Navy selected five shipbuilders to present their ideas for a prospective design for the proposed twenty FFG(X) guided-missile frigates.[3] On 30 April 2020, the Navy announced that Fincantieri Marinette Marine had won the contract with a modified design based on the FREMM, designed by Naval Group and Fincantieri. The project was later renamed FFG-62 program after the lead ship of her class.[15]

Development

The U.S. Navy procured the first FFG 62 in FY2020, the next was awarded in April 2021, and the third is planned to be awarded in FY22. The U.S. Navy's proposed FY2020 budget request was $1.281 billion for the procurement of the first FFG 62. The U.S. Navy's FY2020 budget submission shows that subsequent ships in the class are estimated by the Navy to cost $850 to $950 million each in then-year dollars.[16][4]

Design
The proposed government furnished equipment for the FFG(X)

The U.S. Navy's intention to buy the first FFG(X) in 2020 did not allow enough time to develop a completely new design for the platform. Consequently, the U.S. Navy intended for the design of the FFG(X) to be a modified version of an existing "parent" ship design.[13]: 8  The RFI says, "A competition for FFG(X) is envisioned to consider existing parent designs for a Small Surface Combatant that can be modified to accommodate the specific capability requirements prescribed by the U.S. Navy."[12]

The U.S. Navy wanted a frigate that could keep up with the aircraft carriers and have sensors networked in with the rest of the fleet to expand the overall tactical picture available to the group. "The FFG(X) will normally aggregate into strike groups and Large Surface Combatant led surface action groups but also possess the ability to robustly defend itself during conduct of independent operations while connected and contributing to the fleet tactical grid."[12]

In January 2019, the U.S. Navy announced that the new frigate will have a minimum of 32 Mark 41 Vertical Launch System cells aboard the ship for primarily anti-air warfare for self-defense or escort missions.[17]

The U.S. Navy would like for the ship to be able to:

  • Destroy surface ships over the horizon,
  • Detect enemy submarines,
  • Defend convoy ships,
  • Employ active and passive electronic warfare systems,
  • Defend against swarming small boat attacks.[12]

The class will use a Combined Diesel Electric and Gas Hull, Mechanical and Electrical (HM&E) propulsion system which has never been used in any other U.S. Navy ship.[18] The new propulsion system will be required to be tested on land, in order to reduce the risk of engine failure, which has plagued the previous littoral combat ship (LCS) program.[18]

The ongoing difficulties with the LCSs were a major factor in the US Navy's decision to kickstart the Constellation program. According to the Congressional Research Service, ongoing concerns include LCS survivability in a conflict, their limited armament, and their ability to complete the missions it was designed for.[19] Other problems include their high cost price, double their original projections, and maintenance costs.[20]

Contenders

Six shipbuilders submitted proposals for conceptual designs to the U.S. Navy FFG(X) Frigate program.[6][21] On 16 February 2018, the U.S. Navy announced that from these proposals they had selected five shipbuilders and awarded them each $15 million contracts to produce conceptual designs for the FFG(X).[3] These shipbuilders were Austal USA, Fincantieri Marine Group, General Dynamics, Huntington Ingalls Industries, and Lockheed Martin.[3]

Atlas North America submitted the MEKO A-200 but was not selected for a conceptual design contract.[6][3] Ship designs from these five shipbuilders were evaluated by the U.S. Navy to inform the final specifications that would be used for the FFG(X) request for proposal in 2019 and the intended contract award in 2020.[3]

On 28 May 2019, Lockheed Martin withdrew from the competition.[22]

Shipbuilder Parent Design Proposal Name Length (m) Crew Contract Awarded
Austal USA Independence-class LCS[6] "Austal Frigate"[6] 127.7[6] to 130[6] Design[6]
Fincantieri Marine Group European multipurpose frigate (FREMM)[6] FREMM 143.8[6] 133[6] Detail Design and Construction (DD&C)[23]
General Dynamics / Bath Iron Works Álvaro de Bazán-class Spanish frigate[6] "F100"[6] 146.7[6] to 234[6] Design[6]
Huntington Ingalls Industries Legend-class National Security Cutter[6] "Patrol Frigate"[6] 127.4[6] Unspecified[6] Design[6]
Lockheed Martin Freedom-class LCS[6] "Freedom Frigate"[6] 125[6] 130[6] Design[6] (withdrawn)[22]
Atlas North America MEKO A-200[6] MEKO A-200 121[6] 100-120[6] None

Contract award

On 30 April 2020, it was announced that Fincantieri Marinette Marine's FREMM design had won the contest and was awarded a $795 million contract for detailed design and construction of the lead ship, with options for nine additional ships.[24] On 20 May 2021, the U.S. Navy issued Fincantieri Marinette Marine a $554 million contract to start building the future USS Congress (FFG-63).[25]

Ships of the class
Name Hull Number Builder Laid Down Launched Commissioned Homeport Status
Constellation FFG-62 Fincantieri Marinette Marine NS Everett, WA Under construction[26]
Congress FFG-63 NS Everett, WA Awarded[27][28][25]
Chesapeake FFG-64 NS Everett, WA Awarded[29][18]
Lafayette FFG-65 NS Everett, WA Awarded[30][31]

In June 2021, the Navy announced that Naval Station Everett in Washington would be the future home of the first 12 ships of the class.[32]

Naming

On 8 April 2020, it was revealed that four proposed names were put forward by outgoing acting Secretary of the Navy, Thomas Modly. He expressed a desire for the first ship to be named Agility with the class designated Agility class. Other names put forward were Intrepid, Endeavor, and Dauntless. However, Navy leaders said Modly's proposed names would not be adopted.[33] In July 2020, it was reported by The Drive that the lead ship would be named USS Brooke (FFG-80).[34] Later the U.S. Navy clarified via Twitter that reports about reusing the USS Brooke name for a new warship were erroneous.[35]

On 7 October 2020, Navy Secretary Kenneth Braithwaite announced the first FFG(X) frigate would be named USS Constellation (FFG-62).[36] On 2 December 2020, Secretary Braithwaite announced that the second ship of the class will be named USS Congress (FFG-63).[27][37] On 15 January 2021, Secretary Braithwaite announced that the third ship of the class will be named USS Chesapeake (FFG-64). All three ships are named after three of the U.S. Navy's original six frigates.[29]

United States ship naming conventions have historically named frigates after U.S. Navy and Marine Corps heroes or leaders. A report to Congress on 4 February 2021 advised that the U.S. Navy had not stated that this naming scheme was a change in their rules for naming ships.[38]

See also

References
  1. "Report to Congress on Constellation-class Frigate Program (FFG-62)" summary. USNI, 1 February 2022.
  2. O'Rourke, Ronald. "Navy Constellation (FFG-62) Class Frigate Program: Background and Issues for Congress" (PDF). Congressional Research Service. pp. 12–13. R44972. Retrieved 2023-06-17.
  3. LaGrone, Sam; Eckstein, Megan (16 February 2018). "Navy Picks Five Contenders for Next Generation Frigate FFG(X) Program". USNI News. U.S. Naval Institute. Retrieved 17 February 2018.
  4. Larter, David (12 January 2021). "Here's the latest on the US Navy's new Constellation-class frigate". Breaking Defense. Retrieved 4 March 2021.
  5. GE, The LM2500+G4 Engine
  6. Vavasseur, Xavier, ed. (18 January 2018). "SNA 2018: Contenders for the U.S. Navy FFG(X) Frigate Program". Navy Recognition. Retrieved 19 January 2018.
  7. O'Rourke, Ronald. "Navy Constellation (FFG-62) Class Frigate Program: Background and Issues for Congress" (PDF). Congressional Research Service. p. 15. R44972. Retrieved 2023-06-17.
  8. Campbell, Regan (15 January 2019). "FFG(X) Update: National Symposium – Surface Navy Association" (PDF). navsea.navy.mil. p. 3. Retrieved 17 June 2023.
  9. Burgess, Richard R. (31 August 2022). "First Steel Cut for Navy's Constellation-Class Frigate". Seapower. Retrieved 4 September 2023.
  10. "Navy Completes Lightweight Torpedo Defense Mission Module Testing". navy.mil. 4 May 2018. Retrieved 17 June 2023.
  11. "James M. Inhofe National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2023".
  12. Larter, David B. (10 July 2017). "Frigate competition wide open: Navy specs reveal major design shift". Defense News. Sightline Media Group. Retrieved 19 January 2018.
  13. O'Rourke, Ronald (8 December 2017). "Navy Frigate (FFG[X]) Program: Background and Issues for Congress" (PDF). Congressional Research Service. Retrieved 17 February 2018.
  14. Eckstein, Megan (10 July 2017). "Navy Releases Details of New FFG(X) Guided-Missile Frigate Program in Request to Industry". USNI News. U.S. Naval Institute. Retrieved 17 February 2018.
  15. "Report to Congress on Constellation-class Frigate Program (FFG-62)". USNI News. 2021-08-31. Retrieved 2021-09-05.
  16. "Report to Congress on U.S. Navy Frigate FFG(X) Program". USNI News. 2019-10-18. Retrieved 2019-10-19.
  17. LaGrone, Sam (2019-01-22). "Navy Squeezing Costs Out of FFG(X) Program as Requirements Solidify". USNI News. Retrieved 2019-02-09.
  18. Larter, David B. (2020-12-06). "Citing littoral combat ship failures, Congress pushes the US Navy to get FFG(X) right". Defense News. Retrieved 2021-01-16.
  19. Thomas, Richard (2023-01-24). "Was the US Navy's Littoral Combat Ship a mistake?". Naval Technology. Retrieved 2023-03-21.
  20. "The Pentagon Saw a Warship Boondoggle. Congress Saw Jobs". The New York Times. 2023-02-04. Retrieved 2023-03-21.
  21. "Contracts" (Press release). U.S. Department of Defense. 16 February 2018. CR-032-18. Retrieved 17 February 2018. …six offers received.
  22. LaGrone, Sam (28 May 2019). "Lockheed Martin Won't Submit Freedom LCS Design for FFG(X) Contest". USNI News. Retrieved 28 May 2019.
  23. "Report to Congress on Constellation-class Frigate Program (FFG-62)". USNI News. 2022-07-15. Retrieved 2022-12-18.
  24. Eckstein, Megan (30 April 2020). "Fincantieri Wins $795M Contract for Navy Frigate Program". USNI News. Retrieved 30 April 2020.
  25. "Navy Issues $554M Contract Modification for Second Navy Frigate". USNI News. 2021-05-20. Retrieved 2021-05-21.
  26. Shelbourne, Mallory (31 August 2022). "Fincantieri Begins Construction of First Constellation-class Frigate". USNI News. Retrieved 2 September 2022.
  27. "SECNAV Names Future Guided Missile Frigate USS Congress" (Press release). United States Navy. 4 December 2020. Retrieved 16 January 2021.
  28. Harkins, Gina (3 December 2020). "The Navy is Naming its Next New Frigate USS Congress". Military.com. Retrieved 16 January 2021.
  29. "SECNAV Names Future Vessels while aboard Historic Navy Ship" (Press release). United States Navy. 15 January 2021. Retrieved 16 January 2021.
  30. Bahtić, Fatima (19 May 2023). "Fincantieri to construct 4th Constellation-class frigate for US Navy". Naval Today. Retrieved 22 May 2023.
  31. "SECNAV Names Future Constellation-Class Guided-Missile Frigate Lafayette" (Press release). United States Navy. 29 June 2023. Retrieved 29 June 2023.
  32. Correll, Diana (3 June 2021). "Naval Station Everett selected as homeport for Constellation-class frigates". Navy Times. Sightline Media Group. Retrieved 9 November 2021.
  33. Werner, Ben (8 April 2020). "Navy Leaders Sink Ship Names Proposed in SECNAV Modly's Last Days". USNI News. United States Naval Institute. Retrieved 17 July 2020.
  34. Trevithick, Joseph (17 July 2020). "Pentagon Notice Says The First Of The Navy's New Frigates Will Be Named USS Brooke". The War Zone. The Drive. Retrieved 17 July 2020.
  35. "No, the US Navy will not name first of new class of frigates USS Brooke". Defense Brief. 18 July 2020. Retrieved 7 October 2020.
  36. Eckstein, Megan (7 October 2020). "SECNAV Braithwaite Names First FFG(X) USS Constellation". USNI News. United States Naval Institute. Retrieved 7 October 2020.
  37. Ziezulewicz, Geoff (2 December 2020). "Navy bringing back U.S. Atlantic Fleet". Navy Times. Sightline Media Group. Retrieved 2 December 2020.
  38. "Navy Ship Names: Background for Congress". Congressional Research Service. 4 February 2021. RS22478.

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