New US Navy FFG(x) and 1/350 model of the Lockheed entry

@bd popeye @Air Force Brat @kwaigonegin @Obi Wan Russell @SamuraiBlue @Miragedriver @TerraN_EmpirE @duncanidaho @Equation

What is depicted in this thread is the next true guided missile frigate of the US Navy, the FFG(X) program and the vessel I believe most likely to win the competition. I produced a model in 1/350 scale to depict this.

Right now you have Lockheed developing a significantly upgunned and upgraded sensor and armored version of the Freedom LCS class, Austal with a similar upgrade to the Independence class, the Italian firm, Fincantieri Marine Group, with a suitably altered version of r their FREMM frigate, General Dynamics, with a version of the Spanish F-100 AEGIS vessel, and Huntington Ingalls Industries with Frigate version of the Legend class National Security, or Legend Class US Coast Guard Cutters.

Here are the Five Entries, and a decision will be made in 2019, with the first FFG starting construction in 2020 and the second in 2021:


All of these are fine vessels, especia;l;y te F-100, which is also the Hobart DDG fro the Australians. I just do nmot think they will be able to get that vessel in at the correct price point with 48 Mk-41, a 5" gun, etc.

Also, based on my own experience, and particularly with the current administration pushing a "Make America Strong again," and American economic basis for what is already turning around the US economy significantly, I do not believe a foreign design will win, which IMHO, leaves out both the Italian and Spanish designs.

Although the Austal design shows 16 OTH missiles, and the same 16 cell Mk-41 VLS, the Austral design is still heavily aluminum and much more susceptible to damage, and has not received as strong a reception as the Freedom class LCS in the US Navy to date, and Lockheed Martin is heavily involved in setting up many of the electronics for all of the vessels and has shown over decades its ability to do so. The Huntington Ingalls class would be a good design as well...but it is a more 1980s-1990s type hull and superstructure configuration with very little of the stealth features, and although HI has built many very strong Amphibious ships for the US Navy, in terms of service contracts, and they have built a great US Coast Guard cutter (eight out of eleven so far), they are just not strongly considered in the environment of a major US Navu surface combatant.

That is why I believe the Lockheed design has the strongest chance, and will, I believe win the competition.

So, I went and purchased a 1/350 scale 3D design of the Lockheed available from Dutch Naval Miniatures on Shapeways 3D Printing, and have now completed fitting it out.

But before we get completely into that, and how that model was out fitted and what it looks like now that it is done. First a couple of other things that led the US Navy to this poin

In order to fully understand this competition you have to understand the history of the LIttoral Combat Ship (LCS) experience the US Nay has had over the last ten years (which has been sophomoric at best and very embarrassing in any case).

What started as a competition to produce a very fast, very modular frigate sized vessel and a competition between two contenders, Lockheed with a mono-steel hulled vessel and the Trimaran, Aluminum vessel from Austral, under the Obama administration went far awry.

What was supposed to be the capability of replacing modules to give the vessels the ability to change from anti-surface, to anti-submarine, to counter-mine, and other capabilities within a 24-36 hour period, came apart at the seems, with it requiring several days to a week to make the change, and several modules that simply were not working. In addition to that, it was decided to produce both vessels to build up the 56 vessels desired (meaning 28 of each). Finally, the vessels themselves in any configuration, including the anti-surface warfare module, were incapable of defending themselves or having a hope to win in a confrontation between any peer nation frigate, or even their corvettes.

The light sensor package, the lack of any long range, over the horizon missiles, the light combat build/construction, and the very small crews which in any major damage would be too small to handle war fighting and damage control, made this unavoidable.

In order to address this the US Navy ultimately, despite the Obama administration attempts to slow down or derail the efforts, produced requirements and changes to cut the overall number of vessels and round the rest out with a Fast Frigate (FF) design that would require an upgrade of sensors, armor, and weapons to allow at least 20 vessels to have the necessary sensors and armament to make them competitive, and to be able to back fit these upgrades to vessels already built..

Finally, after the elections in 2016, the ultimate requirement produced a need to cut the overall LCS production to 24, adding 16 FF vessels for a total of 40, with the ability to upgrade already produced LCS vessels to the FF standard. This standard basically added a SeaRAM defensive anti-air system, added over the horizon missiles to augment 24 hellfire misiles, added some sensor upgrades, and some additional armor. This helps a lot, but would not make the vessels able to really take on peer nation frigates all to well.

In order to do that, a competition for this new FFG(X) was introduced to replace the remaining 16-17 vessels originally envisioned with a 20 ship strong class of FFGs (called FFG(X) with the competition between the contenders named above. If the current adminmistration holds office after 2020, it is my surmize that more than 20 of these vessels may be built...and that would be a good thing.

The new vessel would be fully FFG capable, would be larger, would not be modular but would be multi-mission requiring the produced vessels to be able to be able to perform anti-surface warfare, anti-submarine-warfare, and anti-air warfare at the same time, with a medium ranged (out to 45-50 miles) anti-air capability, which the LCS and has been removed from the FF.

So, as I say, I believe the US is most likely to pick the Lockheed Martin design. Lockheed has the most experience and is in the best position to produce a vessel that will be able to communicate with the rest of the US Fleet, particularly the AEGIS class destroyers and cruisers for cooperative engagement, and most capable to produce a fully combat worthy, strong guided missile frigate with the flexability and armament necessary for the US Navy needs into the 2040s and 2050s.

So, getting to the new frigate I purchased from Dutch Naval Miniiatures onine at Shapeways 3D, the loadout I am showing on this model in 1/350 scale includes:

Displacement: 4,000-4,500 tons
Lengeth: 410 Ft (125m)
Width: 60 ft (18.5m)
Range: 8,000-10,000 nautical miles
Compliment: 130+ personnel
Speed 32+knts
Sensors:
- COMBATSS-21 Combat Management System (which will be an AEGIS derivative capable of working with full AEGIS vesssels in a cooperative engagement capability:
- Enterprise Air Surveillance Radar (EASR)[1]
- Next Generation Surface Search Radar
- AN/SLQ-61 light weight towed array sonar
- AN/SQS-62 Variable-Depth Sonar
- AN/SQQ-89F undersea warfare/anti-submarine warfare combat system
Armament:
- 1 x 57mm main gun
- 16 Mk-41 VLS cells using RIM-162 ESSM Block 2 (Quad Pack), RIM-174 ERAM (SM6), or AGM-158C LRASM missiles
(Suggested loadut would be ASuW: 4 x LRASM, 64 x ESSM, or AAW: 8 x ERAM (SM6) 32 x ESSM
- 8 Over the Horizon misiles in 2xquad cannister packages
- 1 x SeaRAM Mk15 Mod 31 short range anti-air defense system
- 24 Hellfire missiles in VLS cells
- 1 x mature, fully capable Laser Weapons Systsm (LAWS)
- 2 x 30mm secondary guns

As I say, the basic model was produced by Dutch Fleet Miniature 3D Models from Shapeways. I then purchased two Trumpeter LCS Freedom class, USS Ft-worth 1/350 scale models, as well as well as 1/350 scale Veteran Models SeaRAM and Harpoon quad launchers in 1/350 scale. As well as several other 1/350 scale parts from 3rd parties and/or spare parts from othr US Navy models in 1/350 scale. The idea was to take off the less detailed parts from the Dutch model vessel and add the mor detailed parts available from the Trumpeter models (many LCS parts are compatible) and from the other sources. I used phot etch metal parts for railing and various sensors and other parts from the Trumpeter models and other spare parts.

In the end, what you see is what was produced, starting with the initial concept pictures of the FFG(X) from Lockheed, progressing through the Dutch NAval Miniature model as I recieved it, and then showing the various other components and progressing through their builing onto the ship and culminating in the finished model. Finally comparing the new FFG(X) to an up gunned LCS to the new FF standard for LCS-3 USS Ft. Worth, which would at that point be re-designated to FF-3.

Hope you enjoy the thread. My intent is to produce two of these vessels so that I can add them to my US Carrier Strike Group and/or my US Navy Amphibious Ready Group in 1/350 scale. See the following videos in my Youtube channel:

US Navy two carrier Strike group in 1/350 scale:


US Navy Amphibious Ready Group in 1/350 scale

Here's a couple of more:

US Navy USS Ronald Reagan, CVN-76, Nimitz class carrier in 1/350 scale


US Navy USS Enterprise, CVN-80 Ford class carrier in 1/350 scale:


and here's my Flicker Album for the whole thing:



I will include all the pictures and explanation of the build here later this evening after I get back from a couple of things my wife and I are going to.

@bd popeye @Air Force Brat @kwaigonegin @Obi Wan Russell @SamuraiBlue @Miragedriver @TerraN_EmpirE @duncanidaho @Equation

Here's the build.

First the actual model from Dutch Naval Miniatures and the additional parts from Veteran Odels and from Trumpeter:

I also bought two of the Trumpeter LCS Freedom class USS Ft. Worth in a special deal for 14.99 each on eBay. Then added some photo etch and the parts I wanted to use for detailing from those Trumpeter models and spare parts from other left overs.

I then removed the not very well detailed parts from the 3D model (like the 57mm gun, the Sea Ram, and the quad missile launchers), and then did an initial paint job and added the detailed parts, like the 57mm forward gun, the detailed funnels hidden in the superstructure to help with infrared, and then the 30mm guns, the 24 VLS for the Hell Fire Missiles, and the SeaRAM


Those las two pic you can see the overall initial paint job, with the quad cannister missile launchers removed.

Now it was time to start adding the photo etch railing, more details like searchlights, .50 cal machine guns, ladders, boat launches, life buoys, and other details, including the MH-60R helicopter and then adding the decals to the landing deck and helicopter there too.

I then built and added the detailed 1/350 scale Harpoon missile quad launchers, more decals like the warning decals around the main gun, more .50 cal machine guns forward,and more sensors and instrumentation:

I then finished off detailing the lower hull, including the water jets, and prepared the vessel for the finish and completed pictures: