Tag Archives: FF4923

Modern Problems Require a Modern Surface Action Group

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How about these images of a three-pack of American maritime assets steaming into the Bay of Port-au-Prince, Haiti, this week under Operation Southern Spear. They include the 509-foot grey-hulled Flight IIA Burke, USS Stockdale (DDG 106), the 418-foot Berthoff-class National Security Cutter USCGC Stone (WMSL 758), and the old-school all-diesel 210-foot Reliance-class medium endurance cutter USCGC Diligence (WMEC 616).

Talk about a high-low-low mix.

Note that Stockton has an ODIN laser system in place of her forward CIWS

Of course, all the heavy lifting in the little SAG falls on the shoulders of Stockdale, while Stone and Diligence (the latter with a 10.5-foot draught) are more (wait for it) more littoral constabulary assets that can operate closer in-shore while still under the DDG’s protective umbrella.

Still, this can point to the detached SAG of the future.

Pacific Slug Fest Limitations: It all comes down to VLS

The Navy currently has around 8,700 VLS cells across 81 surface ships (7 x CGs, 74 DDGs) and 28 submarines (24 x SSNs, 4 SSGNs), but at least 1,470 of those cells will vanish in the next four years as the final seven Ticos and the only four SSGNs are removed from the fleet after 30-40 years of service.

That’s bad.

New incoming DDGs and SSNs in those four years will make good about half of those lost cells (in the best-case scenario), meaning that, no matter how you slice it, the Navy is facing a drop of something like 600-800 VLS cells by the end of the decade.

The first of 12 building 10,000-ton Block V Virginias, carrying 40 VLS cells up from the standard 12 cells (an idea to counter the loss of the long-in-the-teeth SSGNs), will start to arrive in 2028-29 and hopefully will help address some of the shortfall but even with that the Navy is still going to be light on cells at a time in which it should be growing the number, not struggling to (almost) maintain it.

Plus, there is the problem of reloading a VLS cell with more munitions as soon as possible, preferably without having to return to, say, 1,700nm to Guam or 5,000nm Pearl from an event off Taiwan. After all, once a DDG fires off its 96 cells, it is just a gunboat. A $2.5 billion LCS.

The Navy is aware of that and, in the past couple of years, has been advancing at-sea VLS replenishment, recently testing the Transferable Rearming Mechanism (TRAM) to reload Mk 41 VLS cells from supply vessels (e.g., USNS Washington Chambers (T-AKE 11) and USNS Gopher State (TACS-4)). t but it is far from standard.

This could lead to a new class of VLS-rearming destroyer tenders, a concept that should have been fielded in the 1980s along with the first Burkes and Flight I Ticos.

Sailors from Navy Cargo Handling Battalion One (NCHB-1) onboard USS Chosin (CG-65) work with the ship’s force to complete a demonstration of the Transferrable Rearming Mechanism VLS Reloading At-Sea with the USNS Washington Chambers (T-AKE 11) on Oct. 11, 2024, in the Pacific Ocean. (U.S. Navy Photo.)

Another option is MODEP, which is proposed by Leidos to repurpose surplus oil rigs into mobile missile defense and resupply bases that can be moved forward. Concepts have them carrying as many as 512 VLS loads.

MODEP:

The bad news on this is that swapping out empty VLS canisters for full ones can be time-consuming, meaning it could take as long as four days to refill an empty DDG. And that is if the weather and seas permit.

New frigates to the rescue

Another bite at closing the VLS gap, while putting more hulls in more places, is to add a 30-40 foot plug to Flight II of the Navy’s new fast frigate, which is based on the Coast Guard’s 418-foot NSC, as exemplified by the USCGC Stone above. The plug would only transform the length-to-beam ratio from its currently tubby 8:1 closer to a more svelte 9:1, but would add enough room to wedge a 64-cell strike-length VLS into the cutter/frigate and its ancillary wiring/support/venting space.

Plus, Ingalls has been spitballing such concepts for years, so you can bet they have guys already doing the math on this.

Ingalls Shipbuilding VLS-equipped Sea Control Patrol Frigate based on National Security Cutter. This was a concept as far back as 2017. It has the same length as the current NSC, but just add a 30-foot plug (maybe not even that long), and you could make a 64-cell VLS a thing

Yes, the ship doesn’t carry the sensors to wring the capability out of SM-2/3 anti-air missiles, but, pairing one of these Flight II NSC/FFs with a DDG could be the ticket, running cooperative engagement to bring many more missiles to the fight– akin to how 24 of the 31 Spruance-class destroyers were converted to feature a 61-cell Mark 41 in place of their original forward Mk 16 ASROC launchers during the 1980s and 90s. That upgrade allowed the VLS Sprucans to fire (lots) of Tomahawks and carry vertical-launch ASROCs instead of their old Matchbox launchers, which were limited to just eight ready rounds plus eight reloads.

The Sprucan USS Deyo, after her ASROC Matchbox launcher was removed and replaced with the 61-cell VLS. Also note the Phalanx CIWS mounts port and starboard.

A run of 20 of these theoretical Flight II NSC/FFs, built in 4-5 ship batches, awarded all-up to 2-3 yards, could backfill 1,280 VLS cells to the fleet. Fast.

Further, as these new frigates, just good for 27-28 knots (and only in bursts) likely won’t travel with the carrier battle groups all the time, by taking two Flight II NSC/FFs with their combined 128 VLS cells, and adding them to a DDG, then you have a task group capable of independent operation as a SAG that can count 228 VLS slots as well as four MH-60 airframes, assorted UAVs, 1 5-inch Mark 45, two 57mm guns, two (or three) 21-cell RAM launchers, 32 NSM anti-ship missiles, and assorted 25mm/.50 cal mounts.

In short, they could control a lot of sea and air space while only tying down three “little boys” and about 600 bluejackets. Plus, they could call at a lot more ports than a CVBG or ARG.

Nine such SAGs, operating on the periphery of the nine active carrier battle groups and nine active amphibious ready groups, could really add a wild card to naval tactics, especially in any sort of 2030s peer clash in the Western Pacific.

The FF(X): The Navy’s New (USCG’s Old) Small Surface Combatant

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As we covered previously, SECNAV and CNO have been flirting with the Coast Guard’s 418-foot Legend (Bertholf)-class National Security Cutter– one of which is often deployed on 2nd or 7th fleet tasking at any given time already– as the country’s new fast frigate.

Now, the flirting is over, and it is “Facebook official.” 

The FF(X) is a highly adaptable vessel. While its primary mission will be surface warfare, its ability to carry modular payloads and command unmanned systems enables it to execute a broad spectrum of operations, making it ready for the challenges of the modern maritime environment. Small surface combatants have always been essential to the fleet, handling a wide range of missions where a large warship isn’t required. The FF(X) will continue this vital role and will take on more routine operations, enhancing the fleet’s operational flexibility, adaptability, and mission readiness.

FF(X) is engineered for rapid, cost-effective production, enabling this vital capability to the fleet faster. This is made possible by basing the new frigate on HII’s proven Legend-Class National Security Cutter. This approach leverages a mature design to deliver ships to our sailors without delay.

Note, the “G” moniker doesn’t seem to be mentioned anymore as they apparently won’t have many guided missiles other than up to 16 NSMs on the stern and what looks to be a 21-cell RAM and an 8-cell tactical VLS forward, which could be quad-packed with Enhanced Sea Sparrows to give it 32 of the latter. If they could make that a 16-cell VLS, that could at least add a couple of SM-2s and vertically launched ASROCs to the mix.

Is a long-hulled variant coming, with, say, a 64-cell VLS, better sensors, and a twin helicopter hangar, while a Flight I group of ships gets built by a lead yard (Ingalls), then is expanded to a multi-yard design (Bath, Fincantieri, Austal, Bollinger?). Perhaps, as hinted at in the video.

In the meantime, well, any frigate is better than none.

I guess.

The Frigate Gap meets the Cutter Gap

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If only we kept the OHP FFG-7 line active in the same way the Burke DDG-51s have been, we wouldn’t have this problem and could have saved the whole LCS waking nightmare. I mean, you could see a Flight IIA FFG-7 with a 32-cell VLS instead of the old “one-armed bandit” Mk 13 launcher, C-RAM instead of CIWS, and a 57mm gun along with pocket Aegis sensors, couldn’t you?

Stripped-down white hulled versions could have clocked in with the Coast Guard, saving a lot of heartburn there as well.

Alas, with the Perrys, we never knew what we had til they were gone.

The Oliver Hazard Perry-class guided missile frigate USS Aubrey Fitch (FFG 34) underway in 1982 during Bath trials DN-SC-85-04399

As everyone well knows, the Constellation class FFGs have been canceled after falling years behind schedule and millions over budget, with not much to show for it besides two building ships that will no doubt be tough to maintain by themselves over their lifecycle once they finally hit the fleet sometime in the 2030s.

Now, word comes that the current SECNAV wants a new frigate class to be “in the water” as soon as 2028, returning the type to the Navy List for the first time since USS Simpson (FFG-56) decommissioned in September 2015.

The only way to really do that is to restart a barely dormant program with a grey hull variant of the proven Ingalls-built Legend (Bertholf)-class National Security Cutter, being specifically mentioned by “sources.”

With decent sensors, TACAN, IFF, and Links 11 and 16, the NSCs have often been deployed with the frigate-poor Second Fleet in the Atlantic (roaming as far as the Black Sea) and to the West Pac under Seventh Fleet control since 2019, where their long legs (12,000nm, almost three times that of a Burke) and shallower draft (22 feet compared to a Burke’s 31+) come in handy.

Canadian Halifax-class frigate HMCS Ville de Québec (FFH 332) and U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Stone (WMSL 758) steam in formation, on June 9, 2024, while underway in the Atlantic Ocean. Stone and Ville de Québec operated in the Atlantic Ocean in the U.S. 2nd Fleet area of operations in support of maritime stability and security in the region. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Ensign Alana Kickhoefer)

U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Bertholf (WMSL 750) transits near the Singapore Straits, Feb. 29, 2024. The Bertholf is a 418-foot National Security Cutter currently deployed to the Indo-Pacific region under the tactical control of U.S. 7th Fleet. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer Steve Strohmaier)

Two F/A-18E Super Hornets, attached to the “Tomcatters” of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 31, fly over the world’s largest aircraft carrier, USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78), the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Winston S. Churchill (DDG 81), and the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter (USCGC) James (WMSL 754), April 2, 2025. The Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group is underway in the Atlantic Ocean, completing integrated naval warfighting training. Composite Training Unit Exercise (COMPTUEX) is the Joint Force’s most complex integrated training event and prepares naval task forces for sustained high-end Joint and combined combat. Integrated naval training provides America’s civilian leaders and commanders with highly capable forces that deter adversaries, underpin American security and economic prosperity, and reassure Allies and partners. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Maxwell Orlosky)

Legend-class cutter USCGC James (WSML 754), left, and Brazilian navy Niterói-class frigates União (F 45) and Independência (F 44) operate in formation with Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Porter (DDG 78) as part of a bilateral exercise between the U.S. and the Brazilian navy in the Atlantic Ocean, May 18, 2024. Porter is deployed as part of Southern Seas 2024, which seeks to enhance capability, improve interoperability, and strengthen maritime partnerships with countries throughout the U.S. Southern Command area of responsibility through joint, multinational, and interagency exchanges and cooperation. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class David C. Fines)

The NSCs are frigate-sized, at 4,700 tons and 418 feet oal (the old long hull FFG-7 Perrys were 4,200 tons and 453 feet oal) and are good for 28 knot bursts on a CODAG powerplant. Of course, they are not frigate armed, with just a 57mm Bofors and Block 1B CIWS, as well as some 25mm Mk 38s and .50 cals, but they have weight and space reserved for additional weapons and sensors as well as all the “soft kill” stuff you’d expect from a frigate such as SLQ-32, SRBOC, and Nukla.

The USCG has 10 NSCs with an 11th (the would-be USCGC Friedman) canceled in June, and Long Lead Time Materials funded as an option for a 12th hull– both of which the service could actually use, especially in Alaska. That kinda qualifies as having a “hot” line.

Ingalls has seriously shopped a few different National Security Cutter patrol frigate (FF) variants over the years, with the most aggressive of these being the FF4923.

This FF4923 would be 4,675 tons, have two STIIR 2.4 FC radars, a Captas VDS towed sonar, a KINGKLIP sonar, space for two, maybe four anti-ship missile box launchers, Mk 32 ASW torpedo tubes, a C-RAM rather than CIWS, and 16 MK41 VLS cells. However, it looks like those cells would be limited to tactical-length (no Tomahawk or SM-3) loads.

The model is shown with a 76mm gun, which I like (would prefer a 5 incher), but the NSC sports a 57mm Mk 110 (along the lines of the Connies and the LCSs, as well as the USCG’s 25~ planned Heritage/Argus-class Offshore Patrol Cutters), so let’s be honest, that is what a frigate-ized NSC in U.S. service would carry. This might allow a 32-cell VLS to be shoehorned into the design, which is the same as Connie. If not, the FF4923 would be limited to just 16 SAMs if using SM-2s (with a 90nm published range), or 64 shorter-ranged (27nm) but quad-packed ESSMs, less if ASROC is carried (e.g., maybe 4 SM-2s, 4 VLAs, and 32 ESSMs).

Sure, it is not perfect, but it is a better plan than not having a frigate at all, which is what we are doing now.

Plus, if the FF4923 was greenlit and other yards (Bath and Austal, for instance) got into the build-out, the prospect that the canceled 11th and 12th NSCs could get built is high– which could help the Coast Guard with its delayed Offshore Patrol Cutter program.

Speaking of the struggling OPCs, these 4,500-ton 360-foot OPVs are a bit slow (22 knots) to be thought of as a proper FF but do have a long (10,200nm) range, MH-60 helicopter and small boat facilities, as well as the same soft and hard kill batteries as the larger NSC (sans CIWS), or the LCS classes for that matter, with little weight and space reseved for anything heavier, so they are more of a dark horse candidate for a new frigate design.

“With a range of 10,200 nautical miles at 14 knots and a 60-day endurance period, each OPC will be capable of deploying independently or as part of task groups, serving as a mobile command and control platform for surge operations such as hurricane response, mass migration incidents, and other events. The cutters will also support Arctic objectives by helping regulate and protect emerging commerce and energy exploration in Alaska.”

Heritage-class Offshore Patrol Cutter (OPC)/Maritime Security Cutter (MSC)

But at least their line is hot, with the Coast Guard just authenticating the keel for the future USCGC Pickering (WMSM-919) during a ceremony Monday at Austal in Mobile.

Again, better than what the Navy has now, I guess.

Ship sponsor Dr. Meghan Pickering Seymour, fifth-generation granddaughter to Col. Timothy Pickering, and Ravi Khamsourin, Austal USA advanced welder, tig-welded her initials during a keel laying ceremony in Mobile, Alabama, Dec. 8, 2025. The Coast Guard Cutter Pickering (OPC 5) is named for the first USCGC Pickering that launched in 1798. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Grace McBryde)