New Navy frigate not being designed to match missile firepower of Russian and Chinese maritime counterparts
WASHINGTON – The U.S. Navy’s new frigate may not be armed with enough missiles to defeat Russian and Chinese warships, according to a new report. The National Interest reports. Continue reading original article
The Military & Aerospace Electronics take:
24 June 2019 -- FFG(X) is the Navy’s attempt to resurrect the frigate, which essentially is a small destroyer. The last frigates in the American fleet was the Cold War Oliver Hazard Perry class, which was retired by 2015.
The Navy has not fixed on a design, though five American and European shipbuilders have offered their versions, which range from a trimaran hull to 6,000- and 7,000-ton vessels.
But regardless of which design is chosen, one issue could be too few missile launchers, according to a report by the Congressional Research Service, which is Congress’s analytical arm. The FFG(X) will have 32 Mark 41 vertical launch system tubes. The Perry-class frigate carried 40 missiles, while the U.S. Arleigh Burke-class destroyer has 96 missile tubes.
Related: Navy looks to modified littoral combat ship design to serve as next-generation frigate
Related: A once-proud class of U.S. Navy surface warships is quickly fading away
John Keller, chief editor
Military & Aerospace Electronics
