Constellation class FFG Guided Missile Frigate US Navy

US Navy
Constellation class Guided Missile Frigate - FFG

constellation class ffg guided missile frigate us navy uss congress chesapeake fincantieri marinette marine 03

10/24

Ships (20 planned):

FFG 62 USS Constellation (?)
FFG 63 USS Congress (?)
FFG 64 USS Chesapeake (?)
FFG 65 USS Lafayette (?)
FFG 66 USS Hamilton (?)
FFG 67 USS Galvez (?)

Specifications:

Builder: Fincantieri Marinette Marine Corporation, Marinette, Wisconsin, USA

Displacement: 7219 tons (full load)
Length: 151.18 meters (496 feet)
Beam: 19.81 meters (65 ft)
Draft: 7.92 meters (26 ft)
Speed: 26+ knots (48+ km/h)
Range: 6000 NM (11000 km) at 16 knots (30 km/h)
Complement: 140 / accomodations for 200

Propulsion:
CODLAG (combined Diesel-Electric and Gas)
1 x gas turbine
4 x diesel generators
2 x electric motors
2 shafts / 2 propellers

Armament:

32-cell Mk.41 Vertical Launching System / VLS
for a mix of
RIM-66 Standard Missile SM-2MR
RIM-174 Standard ERAM
RIM-162 Evolved Sea Sparrow Missile (ESSM)

- - - - -

1 x BAE Systems Mk.110 57mm gun weapon system
1 x Mk. 49 missile launching system for RIM-116 Rolling Airframe Missiles (RAM)

SSM launcher (4x4 cells)
for
RGM-184A Naval Strike Missile NSM/JSM or
RGM-84 Harpoon SSM

Aviation:
flight deck + hangar
1 x MH-60R Seahawk helicopter
1 x MQ-8B / MQ-8C Fire Scout UAV’s

Systems:
Aegis Baseline 10 Combat System
AN/SPY-6(V)3 Enterprise Air Surveillance Radar (EASR)
AN/SPS-73(V)18 - Next Generation Surface Search Radar
AN/SLQ-61 light weight towed array sonar
AN/SQS-62 Variable-Depth Sonar
AN/SQQ-89F undersea warfare/anti-submarine warfare combat system
Cooperative Engagement Capability
2 x SLQ-32(V)6 Surface Electronic Warfare Improvement Program (SEWIP) Block 2
4 x Mk53 Nulka decoy launching system

The Constellation class is a class of multi-mission guided-missile frigates under development for the United States Navy as a follow-on to the modular littoral combat ship. The Navy announced the FFG(X) frigate project in the United States Department of Defense Request For Information (RFI) on 10 July 2017. The U.S. Navy had selected five shipbuilders to evolve their designs into a prospective design for the proposed twenty FFG(X) guided-missile frigates. On 30 April 2020, it was announced that Fincantieri Marinette Marine had won the contract.

Development:
The Navy wants to procure the first FFG(X) in FY2020, the next 18 at a rate of two per year in FY2021-FY2029, and the 20th in FY2030. The Navy’s proposed FY2020 budget requests $1.281 billion for the procurement of the first FFG(X). The Navy’s FY2020 budget submission shows that subsequent ships in the class are estimated by the Navy to cost roughly $900 million each in then-year dollars.

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. In July 2020, it was reported by The Drive that the lead ship would be named USS Brooke (FFG-80). Later the U.S. Navy clarified via Twitter that reports about reusing the USS Brooke name for a new warship were erroneous. On 7 October 2020, Navy Secretary Kenneth Braithwaite announced the first FFG(X) frigate would be named USS Constellation (FFG-62). On 2 December 2020, Secretary Braithwaite announced that the second ship of the class will be named USS Congress (FFG-63). 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 Navy's original six frigates. United States ship naming conventions have historically named frigates for US Navy and Marine Corps heroes and leaders, a report to congress on 4 February 2021, advised the Navy had not stated this recent naming scheme was a change in the their rules for naming ships.

Design:
The U.S. Navy’s intention to buy the first FFG(X) in 2020 does not allow enough time to develop a completely new design for the FFG(X). Consequently, the Navy intends for the design of the FFG(X) to be a modified version of an existing "parent" ship design. 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."

The U.S. Navy wants a frigate that can 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."

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.

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.

The class will utilize a Combined Diesel Electric and Gas Hull, Mechanical and Electrical (HM&E) propulsion system which has never been used in any other Navy ship. 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 LCS program.

Contenders:
Six shipbuilders submitted proposals for conceptual designs to the U.S. Navy FFG(X) Frigate program. 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). These shipbuilders were Austal USA, Fincantieri Marine Group, General Dynamics, Huntington Ingalls Industries, and Lockheed Martin. Atlas North America submitted the MEKO A-200 but was not selected for a conceptual design contract. 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.

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

Contract award:
On 30 April 2020, it was announced that Fincantieri Marinette Marine's FREMM multipurpose frigate 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.

source: wikipedia

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