FREMM Frigates for the US Navy? (if it survives the lawsuits maybe!)

[Husky_Khan]

Navy Picks Wisconsin’s Fincantieri Marinette Marine to Build New Frigate

Awarded months ahead of schedule, the contract further solidifies the shipbuilder’s U.S. foothold.

www.defenseone.com

The US Navy has picked a variant of the FREMM Frigate (currently in service with the French and Italian Navies) to be built for the US Navy to fill a gap between its littoral (LCS ships) and blue water vessels. The first ten or so of these ships will presumably be built in Wisconsin’s Fincantieri Marinette Marine yards at the rate of two per year for 5.5 billion in cost roughly (before slapping on tens of millions of dollars worth of weapons and equipment). The first ten frigates are projected to be in service by the early 2030's and will serve until the First Contact War.

 

[Wilykit]

Why does it take so long to get into service? FREMMs aren't a clean sheet design.

 

[gral]

Why does it take so long to get into service? FREMMs aren't a clean sheet design.

The tenth unit will start construction on the fifth year. Let's suppose it'll take two years to build and one on trials. This means she'll be commissioned in the 8th year of the construction program, so building the frigates would have to start on 2022-23... considering the pace government bureaucracy moves at, it sounds about right.

 

[Husky_Khan]

Why does it take so long to get into service? FREMMs aren't a clean sheet design.

Apparently only the one shipyard in Wisconsin is going to make them at the moment and it's expected they'll crank out two ships a year. Plus they aren't going to start building for a while yet, plus the ship has to undergo preliminary trials and the like even after it's launched.

 

[Wilykit]

Then why not buy one or two off the peg from France work the bugs out and while crews are being trained build the rest here. Just seems way too long to me.

 

[LordSunhawk]

The largest problem is that the base FREMM design doesn't meet US Navy standards for damage control and survivability off the shelf, they will need rather extensive detail redesign to meet those standards.

Apparently Fincantieri convinced the Navy that they could leverage the yard experience with LCS to make the needed changes in a cost-effective manner, otherwise the FREMM concept would have been DOA.

And yes, USN standards in that area are extremely high, yet things like the Roberts mine hit demonstrate that they are critical. Our ships can take damage that would sink *any* other navies ships and return to service. That mine? It broke the keel yet the ship was repaired, returned to full service, and only decommissioned in 2015. No current FREMM ship could pull that off, as they are mostly built to civilian standards for damage control and survivability (that's the single biggest flaw of all the Euro Frigates, they are built to civvie standards to save money)

 

[Knowledgeispower]

The largest problem is that the base FREMM design doesn't meet US Navy standards for damage control and survivability off the shelf, they will need rather extensive detail redesign to meet those standards.

Apparently Fincantieri convinced the Navy that they could leverage the yard experience with LCS to make the needed changes in a cost-effective manner, otherwise the FREMM concept would have been DOA.

And yes, USN standards in that area are extremely high, yet things like the Roberts mine hit demonstrate that they are critical. Our ships can take damage that would sink *any* other navies ships and return to service. That mine? It broke the keel yet the ship was repaired, returned to full service, and only decommissioned in 2015. No current FREMM ship could pull that off, as they are mostly built to civilian standards for damage control and survivability (that's the single biggest flaw of all the Euro Frigates, they are built to civvie standards to save money)

I'm assuming that the design proposed to the USN already had such changes made, which is probably where two of three hundred tons of its increased displacement over the FREMM came from

 

[gral]

I'm assuming that the design proposed to the USN already had such changes made, which is probably where two of three hundred tons of its increased displacement over the FREMM came from

What I've heard is most of the extra tonnage was in 'protection', which usually means armor. Also, I've heard one of the reasons Fincantieri won is they went the extra mile in assuring minimal changes in project I don't know how that would fit in the above-mentioned post.

 

[Husky_Khan]

I feel like a dork posting so much from this guy... but it's more coincidental then actually him being one of my fave military history Youtubers...



But Binkov did have a video on the purchase of the FREMM Frigates and went into some detail on what new capabilities the US may add to the FREMM frigates so that they can be modified for US Navy service. He actually didn't go into the damage control and survivability but mentioned more shiny and obvious things like the new weapon and other systems and the change in profile and engines etc.

 

[Sailor.X]

Looks at the Fremm Fig.......... Every Engineman in A Gang is cursing under his breath right now. About working on bastardized Euro tech.

 

[Knowledgeispower]

I still think they should have spent the estimated $25 million(and an extra 200 tons) per hull and given it 48 VLS tubes thus increasing its weapon capacity by 50% for a very reasonable price. At the same time I'd have kept the main gun as the same one the Italians use of course the Bofors 57mm being in service on the LCS probably was the reason behind this decision

 

[gral]

of course the Bofors 57mm being in service on the LCS probably was the reason behind this decision

What I hear is that was a factor; other factors were weight and the fact the gun itself is a placeholder for a laser system.

 

[Knowledgeispower]

Glorious news, the FREMM design wasn't challenged during the required time period and so the work can proceed

 

[Flintsteel]

What? No lawsuit? What weird world this happen in?

 

[Knowledgeispower]

What? No lawsuit? What weird world this happen in?

Give me a second and I'll go post the link

edit: from USNI news

Navy Receives No Protests Over FFG(X) Frigate Award to Fincantieri; Detail Design Process Begins - USNI News

This post has been updated to include comments from industry. No protests have been filed over the Navy’s decision to award Fincantieri a detail design and construction contract for the FFG(X) program, clearing the way for work to begin, the Navy confirmed to USNI News. Under contracting rules...

news.usni.org

 

[Knowledgeispower]

Welp for those of you who didn't already know, the FFG(x) will henceforth be known as the Constellation class with lead ship obviously being named as such.

Here's the announcement video:

 

[Sailor.X]

Welp for those of you who didn't already know, the FFG(x) will henceforth be known as the Constellation class with lead ship obviously being named as such.

Here's the announcement video:

On the one hand the new Frigate class now has a name. But on the other hand I would have rather the name go to a Carrier or Heavy Cruiser.

 

[Flintsteel]

On the one hand the new Frigate class now has a name. But on the other hand I would have rather the name go to a Carrier or Heavy Cruiser.

Frankly, I'm just glad we're getting some not-people names in the fleet. The Navy's ship naming has gotten downright incestous, and left a ton of memorable names by the wayside.

 

[Bacle]

Frankly, I'm just glad we're getting some not-people names in the fleet. The Navy's ship naming has gotten downright incestous, and left a ton of memorable names by the wayside.

To be fair, there is one person name that we need to stick on one of these frigates, and that is Samuel B Roberts.

 

[Tryglaw]

Welp for those of you who didn't already know, the FFG(x) will henceforth be known as the Constellation class with lead ship obviously being named as such.

The next one needs to be named Stargazer and have a captain with a French name, that just happens to be the same as one of France's regions.
Picardy for example.