According to foreign media reports, the command of the United States Naval Forces has begun to consider returning to the construction and operation of frigate-class ships. Currently, the US Navy does not have such ships, but in the medium term, it is planned to restore this part of the surface forces. According to the latest reports, work is ongoing to study the current needs of the fleet and the capabilities of the industry, as a result of which requirements for a promising ship should appear.
Recall that the last American frigates at the moment have been built according to the Oliver Hazard Perry project since the late seventies. By the beginning of the nineties, the Navy received more than fifty new ships, but soon it was decided to gradually withdraw them from the fleet. In 1996, the decommissioning of frigates began. No longer needed ships were sent for recycling, became floating targets or transferred to third countries. The last Oliver Hazard Perry-class ship was decommissioned in 2015. As a result, not a single frigate remained in service with the American fleet. Part of their tasks was transferred to the ships of the coastal zone Littoral Combat Ship.
Frigate USS Oliver Hazard Perry (FFG-7), 1979
On April 10, the American Internet publication Defense News published some news about the planned revival of the US frigate fleet. According to the publication, the command of the naval forces is currently continuing to carefully study the issue of creating new ships of this class, and is also considering the possibility of increasing their technical and combat characteristics to the maximum possible values. Through the use of advanced technical means and weapons, it is planned to obtain new capabilities of one kind or another. In particular, the construction of promising frigates based on existing ships of the LCS project is not ruled out.
Earlier, a special group RET (Requirement Evaluation Team) was formed to carry out the initial work and formulate the terms of reference for the project. This organization includes representatives of several directorates and commands of the naval forces. In addition, the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the Program Evaluation Office of the Ministry of Defense participate in it. The research group was assembled a long time ago, and some of its goals and results of current activities have already become known. As follows from the published information, one of the main tasks of RET is to expand the range of tasks to be solved, primarily through the use of new weapons.
One of the main tasks of a promising frigate should be the implementation of the air defense of the ship group. Researching this issue is one of the main tasks of the RET team. It is assumed that such opportunities will be used to cover the Combat Logistics Force ships, which are responsible for the delivery of fuel, ammunition, food, etc. on warships serving in remote areas. This method of using new ships should lead to their noticeable differences from the frigates of the previous types. Previously, American frigates carried air defense weapons only for self-defense and were not intended to cover entire orders.
At the moment, it is planned to further develop the ship's weapons complex, which allows it to gain certain advantages over previous types of equipment. Thus, the frigates Oliver Hazard Perry carried Harpoon anti-ship missiles, as well as anti-submarine missile and torpedo weapons. Artillery and missile anti-aircraft systems allowed ships to attack targets only in the near zone, performing self-defense. Now it is proposed to increase the anti-aircraft potential while maintaining other combat capabilities.
The updated requirements for the complex of weapons were formed based on the results of an analysis of the current situation and a forecast of the prospects for its development. Air assault weapons and anti-ship weapons used by ships and submarines pose an increasing threat to naval groups. As a result, they need a developed air defense system. The anti-ship and anti-submarine potential of the frigate should also be increased, but anti-aircraft weapons in the current situation are of particular importance.
Some details of the requirements for future American frigates have already become known. All the most interesting innovations in this area relate to the strengthening of anti-aircraft weapons by increasing their quantity and quality. So, the main means of protecting oneself and other ships should be a medium-range guided missile RIM-162 ESSM (Evolved Sea Sparrow Missile) of Block 2. The ammunition of this complex should be doubled in comparison with ships of previous models. A promising frigate must carry 16 missiles of this type.
The SM-2 guided missile is currently one of the main defenses against air attack in the US Navy. All existing large surface ships are equipped with such weapons. It is proposed to provide for the possibility of using such missiles on promising frigates. For their transportation and launch, ships can receive a Mark 41 universal vertical launcher with at least eight cells for SM-2 missiles. The use of an anti-aircraft complex with SM-2 missiles will significantly increase the combat potential of the ship, but at the same time it will require the use of more sophisticated and advanced on-board equipment necessary for controlling weapons.
The long range of SM-2 missiles imposes corresponding requirements on shipborne surveillance and detection equipment. In order to improve such characteristics of a promising frigate, the possibility of using the latest Enterprise Air Surveillance Radar, developed by Raytheon for installation on aircraft carriers such as Gerald R. Ford and other ships of new projects, is currently being considered. In addition, the frigate should receive the most modern means of communication and control, with the help of which it will be able to enter the general information structure of the naval forces. This will give certain advantages in the detection of potentially dangerous objects and the subsequent protection of the accompanied order.
Some details of the general survivability requirements are known. In this respect, a promising frigate should be no worse than the ships of the Oliver Hazard Perry class. Thus, in the area of survivability, there are no special requirements for new ships. Characteristics are allowed on the state of the art developed several decades ago and has already ended its service.
At the same time, the new project may use some original ideas aimed at increasing survivability. The possibility of equipping ships with additional armor designed to protect important nodes from various threats is being considered. In addition, it is possible to place vital components and assemblies in different compartments, including those separated by some space, freed from any equipment, or having a different filling. This method of increasing survivability can drastically reduce the likelihood of simultaneous destruction of several compartments, but negatively affects the size and, as a consequence, the cost of the ship.
In early April, the topic of developing a promising frigate with improved air defense capabilities was commented on by the head of the US Navy, Sean Stackley. According to the senior official, the United States has every opportunity to increase the anti-aircraft potential of the new ships. A significant increase in "lethality" can be obtained without excessive spending and economic problems.
S. Stackley noted that the fleet and the shipbuilding industry have a good and solid scientific and technical base for the creation of promising ships with the required characteristics. The main objective of the program is to increase the potential of anti-aircraft systems, but other aspects should not be forgotten. When developing a new project, one should remember about survivability in a combat situation and other important characteristics. The minister recalled the need to develop new technology with a balance between technical risks and the cost of finished ships. In view of the high complexity of such works, the question of the future creation of the project on a competitive basis is being considered.
To date, the American shipbuilding has already managed to develop preliminary designs for a promising frigate. Two such developments were created by specialists from Lockheed Martin and Austal USA - the main participants in the Littoral Combat Ship program. As part of the development of existing ships of the LCS type, special modifications were created that meet the hypothetical requirements for a new frigate. Now development companies are waiting for the Navy to officially publish a request for a new project. This event, according to current plans, should take place next fall.
It should be noted that base ships of the LCS type do not differ in a developed missile system and, as a result, have very limited capabilities in the matter of air defense. Changing the project in order to obtain the required characteristics and combat capabilities will be quite difficult. In addition, the development of a new frigate, even at the level of creating a preliminary project, will take some time. S. Stackley noted that his department does not want to be tied to a specific date - first, in a calm atmosphere, it is planned to complete the work on the terms of reference. At the same time, the Department of the Navy wants to complete this phase of the project by the end of the current fiscal year - by the beginning of October.
The development of a promising frigate based on existing LCS ships looks very likely. At the same time, some experts, congressmen and military experts suggest using a different path to create a new ship. In order to obtain significant savings, it is proposed to build a promising frigate based on the older project "Oliver Hazard Perry". The use of a ready-made hull filled with modern systems will give tangible benefits both during the creation of a project and in the construction of serial ships.
Certain problems that the Requirement Evaluation Team specialists had to face have already led to some shift in the timing of the implementation of the initial stages of the current program. Previously, it was assumed that the requirements for the frigate would be formed in the very near future, after which the project would appear in the shortest possible time, and the lead ship of the series would be ordered in 2019. Now the date of signing the contract for the first frigate has been postponed to 2020. Such changes in the schedule are associated with the desire of the military department to receive the most elaborated projects, evaluate them and choose the most successful one.
At the moment, it is planned to complete all preliminary work and determine the winner of the current competition by the end of the 2020 financial year. The developers of the new project are invited to create their own versions of projects independently, as well as using certain developments on previous ships, including the Littoral Combat Ship family. In connection with the postponement of the signing of the contract for a year, an additional decision was made to purchase other ships. So, in 2019 it is planned to purchase two additional LCS.
It is noteworthy that recently the American shipbuilding industry has begun to show greater interest in the development of a promising frigate. Apparently, the reason for this was the firm intentions of the naval command. Previously, the Pentagon studied the topic of new frigates only to determine their prospects and without building real plans. Now the situation has seriously changed: a special group is studying the real possibilities and is working on the formation of requirements for the ships. As a result, the industry, seeing the real interest of the military, also decided to join the active work.
Coastal ship USS Freedom (LCS-1)
One of the reasons for the return to the idea of building frigates with a full-fledged complex of guided missile weapons capable of solving various tasks was the failure of previous projects. The curious and ambitious project Littoral Combat Ship, designed to replace obsolete frigates, was not very successful. At a high cost, the two types of LCS ships have very limited combat capabilities and operational characteristics. Because of this, the planned number of "coastal zone ships" was constantly decreasing. At the moment, it is planned to manage the construction of only 40 LCS - one and a half times less than originally assumed.
Initially, it was assumed that the LCS ships would be built on a modular basis and receive a variety of target equipment or weapons. In theory, this made it possible to build anti-submarine defense ships, ships with air defense weapons, etc. However, such a task did not receive a full-fledged solution, which accordingly hit the combat potential of the ships. It is to solve such problems that work is currently underway to create a promising frigate, initially carrying a variety of artillery and missile weapons.
The main task of the new frigate will be combat work in the coastal and near sea zone. There he will protect sea lanes, ports and other objects that are potential targets for an enemy strike. Taking into account the observed progress in the field of naval and aircraft weapons, air defense systems were considered the most important means of protecting transport ships and coastal facilities. In addition, a certain anti-submarine potential will be retained. The exact information about the anti-ship weapons required by the customer has not yet appeared.
According to the latest data, the frigates of the new project will begin to be built no earlier than the next decade. The signing of the contract for the construction of the lead ship was postponed to 2020, which allows us to determine the approximate timing of the appearance of serial frigates. Thus, a grouping of promising ships, capable of having a minimally noticeable effect on the situation on the seas, will appear in no way earlier than the end of the twenties.
In the recent past, the project of promising "coastal zone ships" was of great interest and almost became a revolution in modern shipbuilding. Nevertheless, the tasks assigned to the developers of two such ships turned out to be too difficult, which is why not all the desired results were obtained. As a result, the US Navy, as part of the further development of the surface fleet, decided to return to less daring, but already studied and tested in practice ideas. In the distant future, the protection of the coastal zone will be entrusted to frigates that have a traditional look, but at the same time differ in the use of modern systems and weapons.
