US Combat Ship Decision Coming in 'Very Near Future'

[Mourning]

Doe mij dan maar gewoon de nieuwe Italiaanse DDX Destroyers. Mooie schepen en zwaar bewapend

Daar zal dan ook wel een ander prijskaartje aan hangen vermoed ik.

[jurrien visser (JuVi op Twitter)]

Doe mij dan maar gewoon de nieuwe Italiaanse DDX Destroyers. Mooie schepen en zwaar bewapend

Met een vernederlandste versie zou ik zeker kunnen leven als FuAD/AWWF al gaat de vergelijking met een Amerikaans fregat versus een Italiaanse destroyter stevig mank als je ziet wat de Amerikanen in gedachte hebben voor hun aanstaande DDG(X)

[Parera]

First Constellation-Class Frigate Set For August Keel Laying

Wat mij vooral opviel is dat deze fregatten dus geen boegsonar krijgen, qua wapen systemen (behalve de 57 mm) mogen we daar wel jaloers op zijn als we naar onze ASWF's kijken.

[Master Mack]

Doe mij dan maar gewoon de nieuwe Italiaanse DDX Destroyers. Mooie schepen en zwaar bewapend

[Kornet43]

Ze hebben er iig weer een lelijke boot van weten te maken.

Lelijk, maar zwaar bewapend en een sterker casco. Het is maar waar je prioriteit ligt.

[Harald]

Ze hebben er iig weer een lelijke boot van weten te maken.

de Amerikanen maken van de mast altijd zo'n palmpasenstok van ...

[Huzaar1]

Ze hebben er iig weer een lelijke boot van weten te maken.

[Harald]

First Constellation-Class Frigate Set For August Keel Laying


"American FREMM" - Scale model of the future USS Constellation (FFG 62) on Fincantieri booth at Sea Air Space 2023

Fincantieri confirmed to Naval News during Sea Air Space 2023 that the keel laying ceremony for the future USS Constellation is ?projected for August 2023?.

Three ships of the class have been awarded to Fincantieri: The Constellation (FFG 62) in 2020, the Congress (FFG 63) in 2021, and the Chesapeake (FFG 64) in 2022. A contract for construction of the fourth ship-in-class, the yet to be named FFG 65, is expected sometime this year.

The future USS Constellation (FFG 62) is the lead ship of the US Navy?s newest class of warships. Construction of the first-in-class ship is underway. The shipyard, Fincantieri Marinette Marine officially began construction of the first Constellation-class frigate last summer. The shipyard which used to produce Freedom type LCS, and is about to launch the last and final one on Saturday, went through an extensive upgrade of its facilities to support the frigate program. These capital Improvements at the yard are set to be completed in 2023.

In a recent social media post, the shipbuilder explained that it is already planning for the future:

This new acquisition program is changing things up by prioritizing the sustainment of these ships. Here are some key points:

- The USS Constellation is being built by Fincantieri, using several cost-saving measures to reduce risk and improve efficiency.
- Unlike previous ships, the Constellation will be built to 90% completion before transferring into the water, saving time and providing better access to the ship.
- The Constellation-class frigates will be used for various operations, including anti-air, anti-surface, anti-submarine, electromagnetic warfare, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance.

It?s clear that Fincantieri is taking a strategic and innovative approach to building and maintaining these new ships. We can?t wait to see what they accomplish with the Constellation-class frigates!

During a NAVSEA briefing on the program during Sea Air Space 2023, Capt. Kevin Smith, FFG 62 Program Manager, explained the US Navy is still working through a timeline to meet a congressional mandate to add Standard Missile 6 and the Tomahawk Cruise Missiles to future Constellation-class guided-missile frigates.

The FFG 62 class is based off the Italian Navy variant of the FREMM multi-mission Frigate.

[Huzaar1]

Volgens mij kunnen die dingen het beste gewoon allemaal zinken in een grote boze storm van Zwarte Zee formaat. Zijn niet gebouwd voor een aankomende oorlog en slokken capaciteit, funds en planningsgroepen die aan 'doelvinding' doen voor deze dingen.

[Harald]

Zumwalt Destroyers' 155mm AGSs' Removal Fates Undetermined  ( geen kanonnen, maar VLSen )
The U.S. Navy has confirmed that the three stealthy DDG 1000 Zumwalt destroyers' inactive and never-fired 155mm Advanced Gun Systems (AGS) will be removed for the installation of the Conventional Prompt Strike (CPS) hypersonic missile vertical launch tubes in their places. But what is unknown is what will become of the AGSs, two per tumblehome destroyer, once they are removed. Naval News asked the U.S. Navy and received a reply.
Peter Ong  25 Apr 2022

The U.S. Navy's Chief of Information (CHINFO) department replied to Naval News in mid-April 2022.  Naval News asked CHINFO if the three Zumwalt class destroyers' 155mm Advanced Gun Systems (AGS) will be:

Dismantled, saved and stored in a Navy warehouse for possible future use in another new class of ship.
Dismantled, saved and stored at the manufacturer's location for possible future AGS modifications and upgrades.
Dismantled and stored by the U.S. Navy for future scrapping and destruction.
Dismantled and destroyed in the removal process for Hypersonic missiles.

Lt. Lewis Aldridge, CHINFO News Desk Officer, replied via email;

"The Navy plans to remove the two Advanced Gun System (AGS) mounts. Disposition plan to be determined."

— U.S. Navy CHINFO, April 2022

https://www.navalnews.com/naval-news/2022/04/zumwalt-destroyers-155mm-agss-removal-fates-undetermined/

[Huzaar1]

Nu nog even wakker worden m.b.t. carriers.

[Harald]

Amerika wil kruisers schrappen, China bouwt nieuwe

Begin dit jaar schreven we reeds over de Amerikaanse plannen om zeven van de 22 kruisers van de Ticonderogaklasse in 2022 uit dienst te nemen. Verdere debatten binnen de Amerikaanse marineleiding spreken nu van de doelstelling om de ganse kruiservloot tegen 2027 uit dienst te nemen. Deze plannen zullen naar alle waarschijnlijkheid fel betwist worden binnen het Amerikaanse Congres, maar de richting waarin de Amerikaanse marine zich wenst te bewegen is duidelijk en de kruisers van de Ticonderogaklasse spelen hierin geen rol meer in.

.../...

https://marineschepen.nl/nieuws/Amerika-wil-kruisers-schrappen-China-bouwt-nieuwe-250422.html

[Harald]

A second FFG-62 shipyard? Fincantieri 'can meet demand' for now

Shipbuilder Fincantieri Marinette Marine "can meet the demand" of the Constellation-class frigate program for the time being, but the Navy still deciding whether to select a second contractor for the 20-ship class, according to the service's program manager.

Capt. Kevin Smith told attendees at the Sea Air Space exposition on Tuesday that when the time is right, the Navy plans to purchase the ship's technical data package from Fincantieri and begin to qualify alternate shipyards so that the program office is ready to move forward if senior leadership chooses. A ship's technical data package is essentially a set of blueprints that the government would need to provide an alternative contractor so they, too, could build the ships.

The Navy took care to ensure its contract with Fincantieri for the Constellation-class included the rights for the government to purchase the technical data package.

At a basic level, the biggest incentive the Navy has to establish a second shipyard is that it increases the number of ships it can produce each year and also adds a level of stability to the supply chain: If production at one shipyard stops for any reason, then the other will still be working.

..../.....

https://breakingdefense.com/2022/04/a-second-ffg-62-shipyard-fincantieri-can-meet-demand-for-now/

[Harald]

U.S. Navy's Future Large Scale Combatant Force-Level Goals

The U.S. Navy's Large Surface Combatant (LSC) force consists of three destroyers: DDG 51 Arleigh Burke-class destroyers that are still in production with Flight III version upgrades just starting, stealthy DDG 1000 Zumwalt destroyers in which production stopped at three ships, and the upcoming next-generation destroyer program called DDG(X) that is still in the design stage.

.../....





.../....

https://www.navalnews.com/naval-news/2022/03/u-s-navys-future-large-scale-combatant-force-level-goals/

[Harald]

U.S. Navy CNO Says Light Destroyers Are Possible In Future Fleet

At the WEST 2022 Conference in San Diego, held mid-February, the U.S. Navy Chief of Naval Operations, Admiral Michael Gilday said that he would like a future naval force of over 500 manned and unmanned ships. The 500-ship count will include 12 carriers, nine L-class "Big deck" amphibious carriers, 19-20 amphibious assault ships, about 60 destroyers, 50 frigates, 70 attack submarines, 12 ballistic missile submarines, 30 Light Amphibious Warships, the Littoral Combat Ships (LCS), 100 support ships, and 150 unmanned vessels. However, Naval News asked a question beforehand in mid-January at the Surface Navy Association 2022 that might alter these numbers and ship types.

..../...

At the Surface Navy Association Symposium 2022, held mid-January 2022, Naval News asked U.S. Navy CNO Michael Gilday an unusual question at the very end of his presentation: Why build new frigates if a new cheaper, lighter, and less-capable Aegis destroyer class might suffice for future challenges better than a frigate?

"...So we want to buy both, okay? (`You wanna buy both?' asked the moderator). We're optimizing the capacity [of] the industrial base.  I'd love to be able buy as many ships as they can generate, but it's got to be a navy we can afford, right? So that has always been my message with respect to Readiness and modernization and capacity. It's going to be a navy that we can sustain."             

U.S. Navy Chief of Naval Operations (CNO), Admiral Michael Gilday

..../.....

But why are mini (or light) destroyers important compared to a frigate?  The answer is simple...a destroyer is not a frigate because the destroyer is classified as having better systems, armament, performance, capacity and capabilities than a frigate.  Even a light destroyer has systems above that of a frigate, meaning the Constellation-class frigate will not match the performance and specifications of a mini-destroyer.

..../....

https://www.navalnews.com/naval-news/2022/03/u-s-navy-cno-says-light-destroyers-are-possible-in-future-fleet/