Navy cancels troubled Constellation-class frigate program

First two ships to be completed, but military wants more vessels to be built faster, cheaper

The Navy is sinking the troubled Constellation-class frigate program so it can focus on new classes of warships that can be built faster and cheaper, Navy Secretary John Phelan announced Tuesday.

The frigates were intended to provide a capable and versatile small surface combatant vessel, capable of conducting a variety of missions in both blue-water and environments closer to the coastline.

They were meant to replace the problem-plagued Littoral Combat Ships and the already-retired Oliver Hazard Perry-class frigates.

The plan was for the Navy to acquire up to 50 of the multi-mission Constellation class guided-missile frigates at a combined cost of more than $42 billion. In 2020, the Pentagon awarded the contract to Fincantieri Marinette Marine to design and construct the lead frigate.

However, the program has faced design and construction challenges, according to a May 2024 report by the U.S. Government Accountability Office.

“As a result of these challenges, the shipbuilder now forecasts delivering the lead ship in 2029, approximately 36 months later than the April 2026 delivery date set in the contract,” the congressional watchdog group said.

Mr. Phelan said part of his job as Navy secretary is to be a responsible steward of the trust and resources the American people have provided. That means the new frigate program has to go.

“I will not spend a single taxpayer dollar unless it contributes directly to readiness and our ability to defeat future threats,” Mr. Phelan said in a message posted on X. “Every dollar we save must go back into readiness to keep that promise and meet this moment.”

He said the Navy and the defense contractor reached a “comprehensive framework” that terminates the last four ships of the class, which have not yet begun.

Fincantieri will continue working on the first two ships in the class, the USS Constellation and the USS Congress.

“Those ships will remain under review as we work through this strategic shift,” Mr. Phelan said.

Before awarding the contract, the Navy told prospective shipbuilders to base the new frigate on an existing design to speed up the pace of the program.

The Navy selected the FREMM multi-mission frigate already being operated by France and Italy but told the shipbuilder to make a number of changes to the design to meet stricter U.S. standards.

Although the frigate program is being cancelled, Mr. Phelan said the Navy greatly values the shipbuilders of Wisconsin and Michigan, where the work continues.

“Shipbuilding is a foremost concern. The Navy needs ships, and we look forward to building them in every shipyard that we can,” he said. “A key factor in this decision is the need to grow the fleet faster to meet tomorrow’s threats.”

https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2025/nov/25/navy-cancels-troubled-constellation-class-frigate-program/

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5802604&forum_id=2Elisa#49461149)