On 4 April the US Congressional Research Service released a 32 page report on the US Constellation Class Frigate (FFG-62) Program. The US Navy began procuring Constellation class frigates in FY2020, and a total of six have been procured through FY2024. Current US Navy plans call for procuring a total of at least 20 FFG-62s.
Separately, the US Naval Institute reported on 2 April that the delivery of the lead ship, USS Constellation, may be delayed by up to three years. That is in 2029, rather than the original 2026 delivery goal.
The US Navy’s proposed FY2025 budget requests about $USD 1.2 billion for the procurement of the seventh ship in the program. The US Navy’s FY2025 budget submission programs the procurement of an additional six FFG-62s during the period FY2026- FY2029 in annual quantities of 2-1-2-1.
FFG-62s are being built by Fincantieri/Marinette Marine (F/MM) of Marinette, Wisconsin. F/MM was awarded a fixed-price incentive (firm target) contract for Detail Design and Construction (DD&C) for up to 10 ships in the program—the lead ship plus nine option ships.
The report states that FFG-62 program presents several potential oversight issues for the US Congress. They include:
- an estimated 36-month delay in the scheduled delivery of the first FFG-62;
- the potential for cost growth in the FFG-62 program, particularly after the first 10 ships in the program;
- whether and when to introduce a second shipyard into the FFG-62 program;
- the number of vertical launch system missile tubes in the FFG-62 design; and
- the technical risk in the FFG-62 program.
The full report can be dowloaded at: https://crsreports.congress.gov/product/pdf/R/R44972
