CDR Salamander - FF(X) Flight II: In the Works

It is well past time that we had a frigate SITREP, specifically the gray-hulled version of the Legend-class Cutter we are going to build for our Navy.

No reason to rehash my concerns and assumptions—click the frigate hypertext above if you need to catch up, but…let me just say…though I’m glad she’s on the way and we’ll find good use for her, I hope Flight I is a short run.

I know hope is not a plan, but back in December, I had this little bit of hope:

I suspect that already there is work being done on a Flight II, which will incorporate the multi-mission capability of the patrol frigate proposed over a dozen years ago …

While looking over the FY27 budget request, it appears that my hope is well placed.

Here’s the important bit if it is too much to read the fine print above.

Frigate will take the same validated flight-upgrade approach as our Arleigh Burke DDG-51 program - incorporating improvements over successive flights to evolve the ship’s capabilities over time. Flight I Frigates will have minimal adaptations from the existing NSC to start production as quickly as possible. The limited modifications of the NSC baseline to the Flight I Frigate requirements incorporate Navy weapons, combat systems, and communications programs of record, add a flexible weapons station in lieu of the NSC stern boat ramp, add a port-mid-ships boat davit, incorporate shipbuilder recommended producibility enhancements, and change to standard Navy grey paint. Studies for future flights will consider expanded capabilities including Vertical Launch Systems, and Anti-Submarine Warfare systems. FF(X) RAS C2 is enabled through use of Navy warfare system programs of record including the FF(X) combat system and eventually Aegis based Integrated Combat System (ICS), communications systems, and design reservations dedicated to future RAS C2 systems.

Yes. As we were hoping, smart people in hard jobs have looked at the last successful surface ship program, the Arleigh Burke, and said, “Yes, that process worked. Let’s do that.”

This isn’t easy work, but it’s not hard to benchmark success.

When will we see Flight I, Hull-1?

Looks like 30 June 2030, 1,531 days from now. Using our patented unit of time when looking at Navy programs, the WorldWar™, it will be 1.12 WorldWars™ from today until we have that ship delivered…at the earliest.

This is already a mature design, already delivered, so that should not be delayed.

Yes, I know.

OK, that goes at the speed of smell, but at least it’s moving. When will we see Flight II? Looks like it will still be in the design phase through 30 SEP 2031.

Sigh. 5 years too late. We should give the FF(X) Flight II project to Mike Gallagher’s band of merry engineers and move that timeline to 30 SEP 2026, but that’s just me.

Sidebar: The last FF in the USN was USS Moinester (FF 1097). DE-1098 through 1107 were planned, but canceled.

So, are we going to have FF(X) Hull-1 be FF-1098 or FF-1108?

h/t Virtual Bayonet.

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