US Navy awards design contracts for FFG(X) frigates

By Baird Maritime - February 21, 2018.

Fincantieri Marinette Marine has been awarded a contract for its FREMM frigate.

The US Navy has selected five contenders for its FFG(X) future frigate program and awarded them conceptual design contracts.

The selected companies are Austal and Lockheed Martin with their adaptations of littoral combat ship (LCS) designs, Huntington Ingalls Industries with its offshore patrol cutter-based frigate design, Fincantieri Marinette Marine with its FREMM frigate-based bid, and General Dynamics Bath Iron Works, which has teamed with Navantia to propose a design based on Navantia’s Aegis frigate family.

All five contenders have received US$14.9 million contracts and are expected to complete the designs by June 2019.

The first FFG(X) is expected to be ordered in 2020.

The navy will buy one in 2020 and one in 2021, continuing with two ships per year from 2022.

The FFG(X) program foresees an initial acquisition of 20 ships.