Constellation-class frigate

The Constellation class of multi-mission guided-missile frigates is a United States Navy class of frigate based on the European FREMM multipurpose frigate, already in service with the Italian and French navies. Constellation follows the modular but problematic littoral combat ships of the Freedom and Independence classes.^[15] The U.S. Navy announced the FFG(X) frigate project in the United States Department of Defense's Request For Information (RFI) in July 2017.^[14][16]

An artist's rendering of the final Constellation-class design
Class overview
Name	Constellation class
Builders	Fincantieri Marinette Marine
Operators	United States Navy (projected)
Preceded by	Freedom and Independence classes Oliver Hazard Perry class (last class with FFG hull code)
Cost	US$1.28 billion for the first ship[1] US$1.05 billion for the second ship[1]
Built	2024–present
In commission	2029 (planned)[2]
Planned	20[3]
On order	6
Building	1
General characteristics
Type	guided-missile frigate
Displacement	7,291 tons, fully loaded[4]
Length	496 ft (151.18 m)[4]
Beam	65 ft (19.81 m)[4]
Propulsion	CODLAG 1 × General Electric LM2500+G4 gas turbine[5] 2 × electric propulsion motors: INDAR 2 x 3.4 MW 4 × ship service diesel generators Rolls-Royce MTU 20V 4000 M53B engine 3000 kW for a total output of 12 MW Reduction gears by Philadelphia Gears[6] 2 x fixed-pitch propellers 1 × auxiliary propulsion unit Thrustmasters of Texas Hydrologic Retractable Thruster[4]
Speed	in excess of 26 kn (48 km/h; 30 mph)
Range	6,000 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
Capacity	200 accommodations
Complement	24 officers and 176 enlisted crew
Sensors and processing systems	Aegis Baseline 10 Combat System[4] AN/SPY-6(V)3 Enterprise Air Surveillance Radar (EASR)[7] AN/SPS-73(V)18 - Next Generation Surface Search Radar Thales Group CAPTAS-4 Low Frequency Variable-Depth Sonar[8] TB-37 Multi-Function Towed Array[9] AN/SQQ-89(V)16 undersea warfare/anti-submarine warfare combat system[10] Cooperative Engagement Capability
Electronic warfare & decoys	AN/SLQ-32(V)6 electronic warfare suite[11] 4 × Mark 53 Nulka decoy launching system AN/SLQ-61 Lightweight Tow Torpedo Defense Mission Module[9][12]
Armament	32 Mark 41 VLS cells with: BGM-109 Tomahawk Cruise Missile[13] Possibly RIM-162 ESSM Block 2 and/or RIM-174 Standard ERAM missiles Planned RIM-66 Standard SM-2 Block 3C 16 × canister-launched over-the-horizon anti-ship weapons (likely Naval Strike Missile) RIM-116 Rolling Airframe Missile launched from Mk 49 Guided Missile Launching System (21 cell) Mk 110 57 mm gun with the Advanced Low Cost Munition Ordnance (ALaMO) projectile and related systems[14] Various machine guns M240 or M2
Aircraft carried	1 × MH-60R Seahawk helicopter
Aviation facilities	extra-large hangar for helicopter RAST Secure & Traverse Aircraft Handling System Horizontal Reference System Night Vision Device Compatibility

The Navy selected five shipbuilders to present their ideas for a prospective design for the proposed twenty FFG(X) guided-missile frigates.^[3] In 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.^[17]

Development

The U.S. Navy procured the first FFG 62 in FY2020.^{[citation needed]} The next was awarded in April 2021, and the third 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.^[18][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.^[15]: 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."^[14]

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."^[14]

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.^[19]

The U.S. Navy would like for the ship to be able to:^{[citation needed]}

• 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.^[14]

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.^[20] 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.^[20]

The ongoing difficulties with the LCS 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 they were designed for.^[21] Other problems include their high cost (double original projection), and maintenance costs.^[22]

Contenders

Six shipbuilders submitted proposals for conceptual designs to the U.S. Navy FFG(X) Frigate program.^[7][23] In February 2018, the U.S. Navy announced that from these proposals they had selected five shipbuilders with each awarded a $15-million contract 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.^[7][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]

In May 2019, Lockheed Martin withdrew from the competition.^[24]

Shipbuilder	Parent Design	Proposal Name	Length (m)	Crew	Contract Awarded
Austal USA	Independence-class LCS[7]	"Austal Frigate"[7]	127.7[7]	to 130[7]	Design[7]
Fincantieri Marine Group	European multipurpose frigate (FREMM)[7]	FREMM	143.8[7]	133[7]	Detail Design and Construction (DD&C)[25]
General Dynamics / Bath Iron Works	Álvaro de Bazán-class Spanish frigate[7]	"F100"[7]	146.7[7]	to 234[7]	Design[7]
Huntington Ingalls Industries	Legend-class National Security Cutter[7]	"Patrol Frigate"[7]	127.4[7]	Unspecified[7]	Design[7]
Lockheed Martin	Freedom-class LCS[7]	"Freedom Frigate"[7]	125[7]	130[7]	Design[7] (withdrawn)[24]
Atlas North America	MEKO A-200[7]	MEKO A-200	121[7]	100-120[7]	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.^[26] In May 2021, the U.S. Navy issued Fincantieri Marinette Marine a $554-million contract to start building the future USS Congress (FFG-63).^[27]

Construction

On 2 April 2024, USNI News reported that the Constellation-class frigates were delayed by three years by issues concerning shipyard backlogs and a lack of skilled workers.^[28] A year later, in April 2025, it was reported that the first frigate of the class, Constellation, was only 10 percent complete.^[29] Furthermore, the design had yet to be finalized and approved.^[29]

Ships of the class

Name	Hull Number	Builder	Laid Down	Launched	Commissioned	Homeport[30]	Status
Constellation	FFG-62	Fincantieri Marinette Marine	12 April 2024			NS Everett, WA	Under construction[31]
Congress	FFG-63					NS Everett, WA	Awarded[32][33][27]
Chesapeake	FFG-64					NS Everett, WA	Awarded[34][20]
Lafayette	FFG-65					NS Everett, WA	Awarded[35][36]
Hamilton	FFG-66					NS Everett, WA	Awarded[37]
Galvez	FFG-67					NS Everett, WA	Awarded[37][38]
Everett Alvarez Jr.	FFG-68					NS Everett, WA	[39]
Joy Bright Hancock	FFG-69					NS Everett, WA	[40]

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.^[30]

Naming

In 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.^[41] In July 2020, it was reported by The War Zone that the lead ship would be named USS Brooke (FFG-80).^[42] Later the U.S. Navy clarified via Twitter that reports about reusing the USS Brooke name for a new warship were erroneous.^[43]

In October 2020, Navy Secretary Kenneth Braithwaite announced the first FFG(X) frigate would be named USS Constellation (FFG-62).^[44] In December 2020, Secretary Braithwaite announced that the second ship of the class will be named USS Congress (FFG-63).^[32][45] In 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.^[34]

United States ship naming conventions have historically named frigates after U.S. Navy and Marine Corps heroes or leaders. A report to Congress in February 2021 advised that the U.S. Navy had not stated that this naming scheme was a change in their rules for naming ships.^[46]

See also

• United States portal

• Daegu-class frigate (South Korea)
• Defence and intervention frigate (France)
• Mogami-class frigate (Japan)
• Nilgiri-class frigate (India)
• Tamandaré-class frigate (Brazil)
• Type 26 frigates (United Kingdom, Australia, and Canada)
• Type 31 frigates (United Kingdom, Poland, and Indonesia)
• Type 054B frigate (China)
• Admiral Gorshkov-class frigate (Russia)