Fincantieri Marinette Marine has received an order from the US Department of Defence for the construction of another frigate. It will be the second ship in the future Constellation-class, whose design was based on the French-Italian Fremm frigates. From the mid-twenties, they were intended to replace the unpopular and weakly armed Littoral Combat Ships of the US Navy. The navy's specifications therefore included low development, construction and operating costs as well as a more powerful armament, which was, however, inferior to that of the Arleigh-Burke-class. The order value for the ship, which was to be named USS Congress also includes detailed changes to the existing design and amounts to around 554 million dollars.
With a length of 151 metres, the ships displace around 7300 tonnes and have a crew of only around 200 soldiers. The Navy is relying on the CODLAG system (combined diesel-electric and gas) for propulsion, which is intended to provide a maximum speed of more than 26 knots and a range of 6,000 nautical miles. The armament has been significantly strengthened compared to the LCS. The centrepiece is a 32-cell vertical launching system for SM-2 and ESSM, plus 16 containers for ship-to-ship missiles. Only the modest 57-millimetre cannon on the rear has been adopted from the LCS. A RAM system has been added for self-defence, and an MH-60 helicopter expands the operational options at sea.
Text: mb; Graphic: US Navy
English 
German
0 Kommentare