Part II: Huzzah! There is a New Frigate on the Horizon
The MOC
By
Admiral James G. Foggo, U.S. Navy (Ret.)
January 3, 2024
The U.S. Navy needs its new Constellation-class frigates in service as soon as possible. Without a replacement for the frigate, following sundowning of the Oliver Hazard Perry-class FFGs in 2015, the U.S. Navy then experimented with different options to fill the void. It became apparent that smaller platforms, better configured for littoral warfare, could not duplicate the attributes of a blue-water frigate. According to the Thirty Year Shipbuilding Plan, a new class of frigates would allow for more efficient distribution of missions across the surface fleet, freeing up the more capable DDGs for critical high-end missions. In early 2019, the Navy put out a draft RFP for a new class of Frigates (“FFG-X”) and several yards competed for the contract of the first ten ships. The Navy ultimately settled on the modified FREMM-class design proposed by Fincantieri Marinette Marine. Speed is of the essence in getting the 20 ships of the new frigate class into service to fulfill vital patrol, escort, and other combat missions. Adding additional nice to have capabilities can wait while at least the first ten of these vessels are commissioned and become operational fleet units.
I am not unfamiliar with the Fregata Europea Multi-Missione-class (“FREMM-class”) frigate. During my time as Commander Sixth Fleet, I visited the Italian CNO, Admiral Di Giorgi in his office in Rome. We had much to discuss about mutual operations in the Mediterranean, cooperative deployments of Italian ships with U.S. Carrier Strike Groups and basing and operations support to American forces. On his coffee table, there was a sleek-looking scale ship model. De Giorgi was quite proud of this ship design: the Italian FREMM-class frigate. He proceeded to give me a tour of the ship from bow to stern, discussing all the attributes, capabilities, weapons systems, and propulsion inherent on the warship. The Italian Navy and its naval architects had a significant role in the design of this sleek and mighty warship.
At that time, I lamented the fact that the U. S. Navy had made the decision to retire the Oliver Hazard Perry-class FFGs and declined to replace them with a new frigate. Instead, we would redesignate the Joint High-Speed Vessel as the Expeditionary Fast Transport (“EPF”) and use both the EPF and Littoral Combat Ship (“LCS”) to fill the gap. Although capable platforms, it just was not the same as having a frigate.
These kinds of decisions are not made in a vacuum. As a ship’s hull approaches 30 years of life at sea, maintenance and readiness become prohibitively expensive. It is, therefore, counterproductive to keep older vessels operational and it makes more sense to recapitalize resources into newer and less maintenance intensive platforms. That was the plan, but EPF and LCS had shortcomings of their own. EPF is operated by the Military Sealift Command (“MSC”) and crewed by both civilian mariners and U. S. Navy personnel. They operate according to a rigid schedule of operational tempo versus planned maintenance and are not as flexible as a commissioned U. S. warship. On the other hand, LCS has its own shortcomings in terms or range and capability. Neither ship has the legs to go long distances without combat logistics support.
Accordingly, in 2017, the Navy decided to explore the options for a new class of frigates and, after release of an RFP in 2019, the U.S. Navy announced that Fincantieri Marine Group had been awarded the contract for the first FFG(X) on April 30, 2020. Buying the proven FREMM design for the Constellation-class frigate will save time and resources, while allowing some modifications to be incorporated. For example, understanding the need for efficiency, range, and power margin, Fincantieri Marinette Marine added extra length and 500 tons of increased displacement. There were several factors involved in this decision, but most importantly, the need for a little speed improvement while on SSDG (Diesels) only before the need to bring on the gas turbine.
According to the Congressional Research Service, FFG-62s are to be multi-mission small surface combatants capable of conducting anti-air warfare (“AAW”), anti-surface warfare (“ASuW”), antisubmarine warfare (“ASW”), and electromagnetic warfare (“EMW”) operations. They are capable of operating both in both blue water (i.e., mid-ocean) and littoral (i.e., near-shore) and either independently (when that is appropriate for their assigned missions) or as part of larger Navy formations.
The new Frigate will be a very capable platform armed with 32 VLS cells, 16 Naval Strike Missile Anti-Ship Cruise Missile (“ASCM”) weapons, and a 21-cell Rolling Airframe Missile (RAM) for anti-air. In support of the ASW mission, the ship will deploy both a Variable-Depth Sonar (“VDS”), a Multi-Function Towed Array (MFTA), and A/N SLQ 25 NIXIE Torpedo Decoys. The power plant will be a combined diesel-gas generator system with plenty of excess capacity to add future weapons systems, including directed energy lasers. The class has a large flight deck and supports a manned helicopter and one additional unmanned air vehicle (“UAV”). That is more than sufficient for a frigate class ship. Additional weapon capabilities might be added, but that adds risk. Let us first get these proven capabilities in service with the fleet.
Finally, one of the most attractive features of the FREMM class is the incorporation of sensors on critical propulsion plant equipment that monitors machinery and allows for “condition-based maintenance” (“CBM”) — in other words, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. This will be the first class of ships to be built in America with CBM. According to FMG’s President of Shipbuilding, Vice Admiral Rick Hunt, USN (ret.), “FFG-62 will be the most sensored (internal monitoring) surface ship the U. S. Navy has ever produced as well as the first platform built with cyber systems from the keel up.” The design is in keeping with the Navy’s desire to digitize maintenance and readiness and reduce costs.
The 20-ship program will be a welcome addition to the fleet and after the first two platforms are delivered and deployed, the Navy can decide on modifications to future flights of the FFG-62. We look forward to her arrival!
To read Part I: “Sundowning the Olive Hazard Perry-Class Frigate,” please click here.
Center for Maritime Strategy
By Admiral James G. Foggo, U.S. Navy (Ret.)
The U.S. Navy needs its new Constellation-class frigates in service as soon as possible. Without a replacement for the frigate, following sundowning of the Oliver Hazard Perry-class FFGs in 2015, the U.S. Navy then experimented with different options to fill the void. It became apparent that smaller platforms, better configured for littoral warfare, could not duplicate the attributes of a blue-water frigate. According to the Thirty Year Shipbuilding Plan, a new class of frigates would allow for more efficient distribution of missions across the surface fleet, freeing up the more capable DDGs for critical high-end missions. In early 2019, the Navy put out a draft RFP for a new class of Frigates (“FFG-X”) and several yards competed for the contract of the first ten ships. The Navy ultimately settled on the modified FREMM-class design proposed by Fincantieri Marinette Marine. Speed is of the essence in getting the 20 ships of the new frigate class into service to fulfill vital patrol, escort, and other combat missions. Adding additional nice to have capabilities can wait while at least the first ten of these vessels are commissioned and become operational fleet units.
I am not unfamiliar with the Fregata Europea Multi-Missione-class (“FREMM-class”) frigate. During my time as Commander Sixth Fleet, I visited the Italian CNO, Admiral Di Giorgi in his office in Rome. We had much to discuss about mutual operations in the Mediterranean, cooperative deployments of Italian ships with U.S. Carrier Strike Groups and basing and operations support to American forces. On his coffee table, there was a sleek-looking scale ship model. De Giorgi was quite proud of this ship design: the Italian FREMM-class frigate. He proceeded to give me a tour of the ship from bow to stern, discussing all the attributes, capabilities, weapons systems, and propulsion inherent on the warship. The Italian Navy and its naval architects had a significant role in the design of this sleek and mighty warship.
At that time, I lamented the fact that the U. S. Navy had made the decision to retire the Oliver Hazard Perry-class FFGs and declined to replace them with a new frigate. Instead, we would redesignate the Joint High-Speed Vessel as the Expeditionary Fast Transport (“EPF”) and use both the EPF and Littoral Combat Ship (“LCS”) to fill the gap. Although capable platforms, it just was not the same as having a frigate.
These kinds of decisions are not made in a vacuum. As a ship’s hull approaches 30 years of life at sea, maintenance and readiness become prohibitively expensive. It is, therefore, counterproductive to keep older vessels operational and it makes more sense to recapitalize resources into newer and less maintenance intensive platforms. That was the plan, but EPF and LCS had shortcomings of their own. EPF is operated by the Military Sealift Command (“MSC”) and crewed by both civilian mariners and U. S. Navy personnel. They operate according to a rigid schedule of operational tempo versus planned maintenance and are not as flexible as a commissioned U. S. warship. On the other hand, LCS has its own shortcomings in terms or range and capability. Neither ship has the legs to go long distances without combat logistics support.
Accordingly, in 2017, the Navy decided to explore the options for a new class of frigates and, after release of an RFP in 2019, the U.S. Navy announced that Fincantieri Marine Group had been awarded the contract for the first FFG(X) on April 30, 2020. Buying the proven FREMM design for the Constellation-class frigate will save time and resources, while allowing some modifications to be incorporated. For example, understanding the need for efficiency, range, and power margin, Fincantieri Marinette Marine added extra length and 500 tons of increased displacement. There were several factors involved in this decision, but most importantly, the need for a little speed improvement while on SSDG (Diesels) only before the need to bring on the gas turbine.
According to the Congressional Research Service, FFG-62s are to be multi-mission small surface combatants capable of conducting anti-air warfare (“AAW”), anti-surface warfare (“ASuW”), antisubmarine warfare (“ASW”), and electromagnetic warfare (“EMW”) operations. They are capable of operating both in both blue water (i.e., mid-ocean) and littoral (i.e., near-shore) and either independently (when that is appropriate for their assigned missions) or as part of larger Navy formations.
The new Frigate will be a very capable platform armed with 32 VLS cells, 16 Naval Strike Missile Anti-Ship Cruise Missile (“ASCM”) weapons, and a 21-cell Rolling Airframe Missile (RAM) for anti-air. In support of the ASW mission, the ship will deploy both a Variable-Depth Sonar (“VDS”), a Multi-Function Towed Array (MFTA), and A/N SLQ 25 NIXIE Torpedo Decoys. The power plant will be a combined diesel-gas generator system with plenty of excess capacity to add future weapons systems, including directed energy lasers. The class has a large flight deck and supports a manned helicopter and one additional unmanned air vehicle (“UAV”). That is more than sufficient for a frigate class ship. Additional weapon capabilities might be added, but that adds risk. Let us first get these proven capabilities in service with the fleet.
Finally, one of the most attractive features of the FREMM class is the incorporation of sensors on critical propulsion plant equipment that monitors machinery and allows for “condition-based maintenance” (“CBM”) — in other words, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. This will be the first class of ships to be built in America with CBM. According to FMG’s President of Shipbuilding, Vice Admiral Rick Hunt, USN (ret.), “FFG-62 will be the most sensored (internal monitoring) surface ship the U. S. Navy has ever produced as well as the first platform built with cyber systems from the keel up.” The design is in keeping with the Navy’s desire to digitize maintenance and readiness and reduce costs.
The 20-ship program will be a welcome addition to the fleet and after the first two platforms are delivered and deployed, the Navy can decide on modifications to future flights of the FFG-62. We look forward to her arrival!
To read Part I: “Sundowning the Olive Hazard Perry-Class Frigate,” please click here.