United States to Build New Frigates FFG (X).One of President Trump's campaign promises is to make America (and business in it) great again. And the biggest problem facing the US military, particularly the Navy, is the difficulty of maintaining a minimum of 350 ships in the midst of such projects as the troubled Littoral Combat Ship.
However, instead of continuing the LCS project and adapting it as a combat fighter as it sounds, the US Navy even issued of RFI (Request For Information) for the development of a new Frigate type warship!
Named FFG (X), the US Navy wants a frigate that has multi-mission capabilities: hunt submarines, fend off attacks coming from the air and brush out surface targets. This Frigate Ship should also be able to escort convoys of merchant ships and reliably used in electronic warfare.
As if still insufficient, FFG (X) must also be capable of destroying massive attacks by speedboats, or swarm boat methods as used by Iran. A demand that in the 1980s might have made this ship a destroyer or a DDG.
But technological developments and the emergence of the all-around European Fregat designs like the Dutch-owned De Zeven Provincien, the Danish Iver Huitfeldt, or the German-owned Sachsen make the United States aware that their design abilities are outdated. Then FFG (X) is the answer, creating a Fregat that is able to integrate with the concept of carrier fleet or Carrier Strike Group.
FFG (X) in the future will be an important element in the fleet of US Navy warships, considering the amount to be purchased of 50 to 70 units, is a significant amount, reaching at least 10% of the total active warships owned by US Navy.
With a target ship weight of around 4,000 tons like the legendary Frigate class of Oliver Hazard Perry highly adored by ARCinC's Weka G. Cha Bi's friends, it would seem quite difficult to adapt the mission needs and weapons that the US Navy wants into the FFG project (X). As an illustration, Iver Huitfieldt who has a multi-mission ability just weighs in the range of 6,000 tons.
But of course the most difficult of all is controlling US defense contractor companies that often lobbied the Pentagon, resulting in soaring budget and price swings per unit of defense equipment. Can FFG (X) be redeemed for the $ 500 million that the US Navy wants?
Details of New Frigate FFG(X)
The first formal details released from Navy on what it wants in its guided-missile frigate in a new request for information to industry issued today. The new ship concept outlined in the RFI in many ways resembles the Navy’s previous frigate plans but also looks at upgrades like more powerful radars and vertical-launch missile tubes.
RFI is still looking for solutions to improve capabilities including how to combine missile launchers for Evolved Sea Sparrow Missile (ESSM) Block 2 and Standard Missile (SM)-2.
FFG (X) missions will focus much on unmanned systems, using them to expand. The effects of censorship and weapons will provide increased information on the overall tactical image of the fleet while challenging the enemy. Attempts to ISR & T (intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance, and targeting).
"This platform will employ unmanned systems to penetrate and dwell in contested environments, operating at greater risk to gain sensor and weapons advantages over the adversary. The FFG(X) will be capable of establishing a local sensor network using passive onboard sensors, embarked aircraft and elevated/tethered systems and unmanned vehicles to gather information and then act as a gateway to the fleet tactical grid using resilient communications systems and networks".according to the RFI.
In many ways, this FFG (X) design goes beyond what the LCS can do today, especially with regard to surface warfare. The RFI states that such frigates must be able to conduct independent operations in contested environments or contribute to larger strike groups, depending on the combatant commander's needs.
"During the Phase 1 (Deter Aggression) and Phase 2 (Initiative) operations, FFG (X) will usually be combined into groups of lightweight, large-scale Tempo-headed surface action, and action groups but also have the ability to defend themselves well during independent operations When connected and contributing to the fleet's tactical network, "RFI read.
As a result, it must be equipped with a more sophisticated killer and soft kill technology to protect itself during independent operations, or to protect logistics ships during companion missions in low and medium threat environments, which according to RFI will warn Includes "complex electronic warfare and threats Anti-ship missiles. "
The main argument against the LCS - and the Navy's first gap on frigate requirements, which is an improved LCS multi-mission version - is that it does not have a Vertical Launch System to contribute to air defense missions. The Navy still has not figured out how to enter the VLS into its frigate plan, and RFI does not include the VLS into the required weapon system chart but asks for input from potential shipbuilders about how to combine the missile launcher. Although this problem does not yet have an engineering solution, the new name of a ship class guided missile frigate (FFG (X)) compared to the previously named frigate (FF) - shows a dedication to solve this problem.
"To improve the FFG (X) defense, the Navy is keen to understand the trading space surrounding the addition of the Launcher Capabilities to support the Evolved Sea Sparrow Missile Block 2 and / or Standard Missile-2 Active missiles," according to RFI.
"The solution should describe the type of launcher, the number of cells that the proposed design can propose, and if it can be cost-integrated, including considerations for the mileage variant to maximize weapon flexibility.Navy is also interested in the potential space, weight and volume of launchers that may be included In the design of FFG (X) and how many cells can be accommodated if design changes are made in conjunction with an understanding of trading capability and costs. An impact of change vendors innovative approach may provide a Launch System or increase capacity by making design trade FFG (X ) Will also be considered.
Much needed is withdrawn from previous FF weapon system requirements: COMBATSS-21 Combat Management System, which draws software from the same common source library as the Aegis Combat System on large surface combatants; SeaRAM anti-ship missile defense system; A combat missile launched from a canister; Surface-to-surface Longbow missile missiles; Mk53 Nulka feed release system; Surface Surface Surface Improvement Program (SEWIP) Block 2 with SLQ-32 (V) 6; And a series of submarine warfare such as AN / SLQ-61 lightweight AN / SQS-62 variable depth sonar and AN / SQQ-89F underwater combat war / anti-submarine warfare system. It also requires the use of a 57mm MK rifle with a Low Cost Applied Alarm projectile (ALaMO) developed for LCS and frigates.
RFI demonstrates efforts to address the biggest problems of critics of LCS and FF, largely because of the inability to contribute in a meaningful way to air warfare. However, the similarities between these RFI requirements and previous FF plans are hard to ignore - and the RFI itself even makes the same arguments that Navy officials have made over the years, that small surface fighters should not have the same ability as a combatant A large surface but should face missions with lower threats and allow cruisers and destroyers to handle more complex jobs around the world.
RFI states that one of the two main objectives of FFG (X) is to "liberate large surface combatants from suppressing routine tasks during operations other than war." It was then said that "this vessel will reduce the demand for high- end cruisers and destroyers currently performing [anti-submarine war], [surface war], and the mission of theater security cooperation, enabling the improvement of more capable assets to maintain A stable presence in an area where tension with countries with highly capable naval forces may exist. "
The RFI outlines a class of 20 vessels that produce one hull per year for two years and then two years to move forward, although the Navy welcomes feedback on procurement procurement that is more affordable. The service will seek to provide design details and construction contracts in Fiscal Year 2020, when the leadership announces this spring - a one-year delay from the previous plan to allow other permits on ship terms and the inclusion of bidders outside Austal USA And Lockheed Martin who built LCS today
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