Summary and Key Points: The United States Navy is drawing a sharp line between two “frigates.” The canceled Constellation-Class concept aimed to be a high-end escort with Aegis Baseline 10, EASR, and a 32-cell Mk 41 VLS—built to plug directly into carrier strike group combat power.
-The fast-moving FF(X) flips the priorities: speed, affordability, and production stability by adapting the United States Coast Guard Legend-class cutter hull.
Image: Rendering of USS Constellation (FFG-62). Fincantieri media handout.
An artist rendering of the U.S. Navy guided-missile frigate FFG(X). The new small surface combatant will have multi-mission capability to conduct air warfare, anti-submarine warfare, surface warfare, electronic warfare, and information operations. The design is based on the FREMM multipurpose frigate. A contract for ten ships was awarded to Marinette Marine Corporation, Wisconsin (USA), on 30 April 2020.
-Its baseline fit favors self-defense and modular payload space—RAM, guns, EW, and containerized strike options—positioned for presence, escort, and maritime security while preserving top-tier assets for contested fights.
FF(X) Isn’t Constellation-Class 2.0 for the U.S. Navy: Speed, Stability, And Modular Firepower
The cancelled Constellation-class and the Navy’s fast-arriving FF(X) may both be referred to as “Frigates” in US Navy vernacular. Yet they are worlds apart in operational concepts, mission intent, weaponry, and maritime warfare orientation.
The service’s Constellation-class, which encountered insurmountable design and cost challenges, was intended to support cruisers and destroyers in a Carrier Strike Group, equipped with Vertical Launch Systems for Tomahawk and interceptor missiles andthe Aegis Combat System radar.
The Constellation class was envisioned as a full-spectrum surface combatant with advanced sensors, weapons, and integration into high-end fleet operations.
Its proposed architecture included the Baseline 10 Aegis Combat System, the Enterprise Air Surveillance Radar (EASR), and a 32-cell Mk 41 Vertical Launch System (VLS) capable of fielding surface-to-air and other mission payloads.
Next Generation Designed for Speed
In contrast, the FF(X) frigate is being designed for speed, affordability, and production stability. Announced in late 2025 and early 2026, the FF(X) program was initiated in response to delays and rising costs in the Constellation effort.
Rather than attempting to build an 8,000-ton multimission warship through extensive redesigns, the Navy adopted a proven U.S. hull form—the Coast Guard’s Legend-class National Security Cutter (NSC)—as the basis for the new frigate.
By relying on a stable, domestically built design already in service, the Navy seeks to reduce cost and technological risk and field new ships faster to fill capability gaps in escort, patrol, and maritime security missions.
Speaking at the Surface Navy Symposium, senior US Navy weapons developers detailed many of the weapons and performance parameters intended for the FF(X), according to an article in Naval News.
“The new Frigate’s armament will consist of a 57mm main cannon, a 30mm auxiliary cannon, a Mk-49 launcher with 21 Rolling Airframe Missiles, and a payload space at the stern of the ship capable of carrying 16 Naval Strike Missiles, 48 Hellfires, or other containerized weapons.
Electronic warfare is handled by two SLQ-32 (V)6 suites, with 2 soft-kill Nulka decoy launchers present,” Naval News writes.
Initial Navy plans call for a 50-to-65-ship-strong fleet of multi-role FF(X) vessels, and some of the precise weapons configurations are still very much under consideration. The Navy may indeed add vertical launch systems (VLS) to its lighter, faster new FF(X) in an effort to combine some heavy firepower into a smaller, faster ship.
US Coast Guard Cutter “Hull”
Compared with the Constellation class, the FF(X) adopts a smaller, lighter design inspired by a US domestic patrol cutter. With a displacement around 4,600–4,750 tons—significantly smaller than the 7,300–7,500+ ton Constellation design—the FF(X) fits a different operational niche.
Its baseline armament emphasizes a 57 mm main gun, auxiliary 30 mm guns, a Mk 49 Rolling Airframe Missile launcher, and smaller anti-surface weapons such as Naval Strike Missiles (NSMs), with no integrated VLS in initial configurations.
The relatively limited armament reflects an acceptance that early FF(X) hulls will focus on presence, patrol, and self-defense missions without the robust high-end strike and area air defense capability originally planned for Constellation.
Because the Constellation-class design emphasized high-end combat capability, its mission set was broader. It was to serve alongside Arleigh Burke-class destroyers in carrier strike group escort and expeditionary roles while contributing substantively to fleet air defense and anti-submarine warfare. Its sophisticated sensors and VLS made it a force multiplier in contested environments where advanced threat systems could challenge US naval power projection.
Arleigh Burke Class Destroyer US Navy. Image Credit: Creative Commons.
Conversely, the FF(X) is optimized for persistent presence, maritime security, and lower-risk escort duties, freeing up higher-end assets for contested operations.
Its design includes containerized payload spaces that allow for modular mission packages, including counter-unmanned systems, additional weapons cells, and sensors without major hull redesigns.
In many respects, the vision for FF(X) resembles the embattled Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) program, as it is intended to be a lighter, faster, more shallow-water, lower-risk platform, operating in areas less likely to engage in massive, open, blue-water maritime warfare.
(July 7, 2022) – Independence-variant littoral combat ship USS Tulsa (LCS 16) moored at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam during Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) 2022. Twenty-six nations, 38 ships, four submarines, more than 170 aircraft and 25,000 personnel are participating in RIMPAC from June 29 to Aug. 4 in and around the Hawaiian Islands and Southern California. The world’s largest international maritime exercise, RIMPAC provides a unique training opportunity while fostering and sustaining cooperative relationships among participants critical to ensuring the safety of sea lanes and security on the world’s oceans. RIMPAC 2022 is the 28th exercise in the series that began in 1971. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Demitrius J. Williams)
Strategic Navy Shift?
This emphasis on adaptability over raw firepower reflects a deliberate philosophical shift: instead of a single highly capable but expensive multimission ship, the Navy now seeks numbers and flexibility. The FF(X) is intended to operate as part of a broader distributed force, alongside unmanned assets and adjustable mission modules tailored to tasking.
The mention of “mission modules” closely resembles the “mission packages” philosophy advanced for the LCS, so it may not be entirely clear how the FF(X) would differ from the LCS.
About the Author: Kris Osborn
Kris Osborn is the President of Warrior Maven – Center for Military Modernization. Osborn previously served at the Pentagon as a highly qualified expert in the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army—Acquisition, Logistics & Technology. Osborn has also worked as an anchor and on-air military specialist at national TV networks. He has appeared as a guest military expert on Fox News, MSNBC, The Military Channel, and The History Channel. He also has a Masters Degree in Comparative Literature from Columbia University.
