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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:
Bath Iron Works, Spanish Navantia F100 AEGIS derivative
Austal Indeendence class LCS derivitive
Fincantieri Marine Italian FREMM frigate derivitive
Lockheed Martin heavily upgraded Freedom class derivitive
Huntington Ingalls Legend Class Coast Guard cutter derivitive
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
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:
Bath Iron Works, Spanish Navantia F100 AEGIS derivative
Austal Indeendence class LCS derivitive
Fincantieri Marine Italian FREMM frigate derivitive
Lockheed Martin heavily upgraded Freedom class derivitive
Huntington Ingalls Legend Class Coast Guard cutter derivitive
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
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