More weaponsPerhaps most notably, each FFG(X) will have 32 Mk 41 vertical launch system (VLS) cells. The original threshold requirement was only 16, though it seemed likely at the time that this would grow.
This arrangement forms the core of the ship’s air defense capabilities, with the Navy still saying that the primary weapon for these cells will be quad-packed Block II variants of the RIM-162 Evolved Sea Sparrow Missiles (ESSM). This would give the frigates a full load of 128 of these missiles.
These cells could also potentially accommodate other missiles in the future, including the increasingly capable and multipurpose Standard Missile 6 (SM-6). It is not clear whether the Navy has any requirement to install longer “strike length” Mk 41 cells on the FFG(X), which would also allow it to fire Tomahawk land attack cruise missiles. The ship’s primary air defense sensor is still set to be a three-face fixed array Enterprise Air Surveillance Radar (EASR), which you can read about more here. Variants of this radar will also go onto the future America-class amphibious assault ship USS Bougainville and some of the Ford-class aircraft carriers, beginning with the future USS John F. Kennedy.
The rest of the Navy’s desired armament package for the ships remains the same. In addition to their various missiles and anti-submarine weapons, the frigates will have a 57mm main gun capable of firing the Advanced Low-Cost Munitions Ordnance (ALaMO) guided shell, the SeaRAM close-in defense system, and various automatic cannon and machine guns.
The Navy has also now said that it wants the FFG(X) to have adequate space and power generation capacity to accommodate a 150 kilowatt solid-state laser directed energy weapon in the future. The original requirements simply called for space and power “reservation for future Directed Energy.”
A 150-kilowatt system would be a significant addition to the frigates and a major upgrade over the Navy’s existing directed energy plans more broadly. Starting in 2020, the service hopes to begin integrating the 60-kilowatt Surface Navy Laser Weapon System (SNLWS) onto much larger Arleigh Burke-class destroyers. At present, the service has a prototype 30-kilowatt system in place on the USS Portland, a San Antonio-class landing platform dock.
Whatever the power of the laser system, its primary job remains close-in protection against small unmanned aircraft, as well as small manned and unmanned surface vessels. In this latter role, it could be a helpful addition for countering swarms of small boats. Depending on the range and power of the 150-kilowatt system, it may also be able to provide an added layer of defense against incoming anti-ship missiles, as well.
Added sensors and electronic warfare systems
Beyond the main radar, the Navy still has plans for the frigates to have a robust suite of sensors and electronic warfare capabilities, as well, combined with stand-off systems on the MH-60R Sea Hawk helicopter and MQ-8C Fire Scout drone that each ship will carry. For instance, each FFG(X) will have the SLQ-32(V)6 Surface Electronic Warfare Improvement Program (SEWIP) Block II.
The SLQ-32(V)6 can jam enemy radars, as well as geolocate, identify, and classify those emitters. These latter functions give the system a significant electronic intelligence capability that gives the frigate better situational awareness of the potential threats around and allows the ship to help contribute information for analysts to use in building a larger electronic order of battle of an enemy’s force posture across a wide area.
In the presentation at the SNA conference, Dr. Campbell also indicated that the plan is now to build the frigates with the specific intent of installing a lightweight version of the future Block III system, also known as the SLQ-32C(V)7 or SEWIP Block III Lite. The standard Block III system features new active electronically scanned array (AESA) emitters of its own, which offer significantly improved capabilities improves over the earlier versions of the system.
It may be possible for this system to even fire bursts of high powered microwave energy and physically destroy the radar seekers or other electronics on incoming threats such as anti-ship missiles. You can read about more about the SLQ-32 series and the improvements coming with the Block III version here.
The contendersAs for the five individual frigate designs under development already, from what is publicly known, there has been no dramatic shifts in the general hullforms. Austal USA was the only firm to show off a model at SNA of its present proposed design, which is derived from its Independence-class LCS.
To meet the Navy’s requirements, their new frigate is nearly 40 feet longer and a foot wider. The bulk of this additional space is toward the stern of the ship and is there primarily to provide room for the 32-cell Mk 41 VLS array. The two four-round over-the-horizon missile launchers are also on the fantail.
#Austal USA was only #FFGX #frigate contender to show a full concept at #SNA last wk. Enlarged fm a year ago, mostly extended aft for more missiles. Length 456', beam 105', 21' draft. All diesels (4) for 26 knots. 32-cell VLS, 8 NSM fwd. Note redesigned bow, props vice waterjets. pic.twitter.com/RPIHYykcl5
— Chris Cavas (@CavasShips) January 21, 2019
More importantly, Austal had to dispense with the waterjet propulsion system on the Independence-class in favor of traditional drive shafts and propellers. This has been a standing Navy requirement from the beginning and the service also required that certain engine and drive chain components be sufficiently spaced apart to reduce the chances that a single hit from an opponent could leave an FFG(X) dead in the water.
These requirements have also impacted Lockheed Martin’s offering, which is derived from their Freedom-class LCS design. As a result, the company’s frigate design is also longer overall than the Freedoms.
A model of Lockheed Martin's Freedom-class-derived FFG(X) proposal that the company unveiled in 2018. Lockheed Martin has not yet released imagery or presented a model of a revised design that meets the Navy's evolved requirements, including the need for a 32-cell VLS array.
“It does require the ship to be longer, given those separation requirements and how you plan to stagger your port and starboard configuration of the combining gear/reduction gear, running into a single shaft into a screw on either side,” Joe DePietro, Lockheed Martin’s Vice President of Small Combatants and Ship Systems, told Defense News in October 2018. “You have to have a certain amount of separation and they have to be fully independent.”
Other competitors are also putting forward well-established, purpose-built frigate designs, as well. Italy’s Fincantieri Marine has put forward a derivative of its Fregata Europea Multi-Missione (FREMM) design, which it designed in cooperation with France’s Naval Group. Ships based on this design are now in service in Italy, France, Morocco, and Egypt.
A model of an anti-submarine warfare focused FREMM frigate design. Fincantieri Marine has based their FFG(X) proposal on this hullform.
General Dynamics Bath Iron Works, in cooperation with Spain’s Navantia, is pitching a version of the latter firm’s F100 frigate. Beyond Spain, Norway operates derivatives of this ship design and Australia is purchasing its own variant.
The last company involved in the FFG(X) program at present is Huntington Ingalls, which has proposed a ship based on its Patrol Frigate concept that itself derived from the Coast Guard's Legend-class National Security Cutter.
An artist's conception of Huntington Ingalls Patrol Frigate.
Already a heated competitionIt’s hard to say which of these companies may be the top favorite to win the final FFG(X) deal. Austal USA and Lockheed Martin are clearly hoping to make attractive offers by leveraging existing experience and industrial capacity from their respective LCS designs, but as noted the other contenders are also proposing ships derived from in production designs.
That LCS pedigree may not ultimately be a selling point given their record of underperformance and having difficulty adapting to more complex mission sets. An initial attempt to up-gun the two LCS classes and add more capability, known as the Small Surface Combatant, resulted in designs that still lacked any real air defense capability and would be dangerously vulnerable in even moderate risk environments.
Austal USA and Lockheed Martin also built their LCS designs to meet requirements the Navy had laid out for ships conducting littoral operations closer to shore and it's unclear how adaptable they may truly be to the broader FFG(X) operating concept. The need to make significant changes, including revising the entire propulsion system, also raises the question of how similar the final designs will actually be with their predecessors.
On top of that, on Jan. 24, 2019, U.S. federal agents, including members of the Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) and Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS), descended on Austal USA’s shipyard in Mobile, Alabama. Authorities would not explain the reason for the raid. The company’s Australian parent is reportedly under investigation by the Australian Securities and Investments Commission for how it handled losses related to the Independence-class.
Independence-class Littoral Combat Ships under construction at Austal's shipyard in Alabama.
“Austal USA is working with the U.S. Navy on an open investigation,” the company said in a subsequent statement to USNI News. “We are unable to provide additional details due to the nature of the investigation. We are continuing business as usual, executing our existing and recently awarded contracts.”
Navantia’s F100 design may also be facing increased scrutiny after the Royal Norwegian Navy’s Fridtjof Nansen-class frigate Helge Ingstad all but sank after colliding with a tanker in November 2018. The Fridtjof Nansens are based on the F100 and share many of their basic design features.
http://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/26217/the-navys-future-frigates-are-shaping-up-to-be-more-lethal-and-capable-as-well-as-cheaper