Photo: U.S. Navy
It’s called the USS Constellation (FFG 62), and as is customary with military warships, it will be the flagship of its namesake family. But not before work on it, which started on August 31 at the Fincantieri Marinette Marine shipyard in Marinette, Wisconsin, is completed.
Announced ever since 2017, the multi-mission guided missile frigate family called Constellation is now on its way to becoming a reality, after the flagship entered construction at the said shipyard. No mention is made as to when it’ll be ready, but when it will, it’ll take its rightful place in the Navy’s new Operations Plan, which calls for the fleet to comprise 350 manned ships and 150 unmanned ones.
The Constellation will be manned, of course, by a crew of some 200 people. It’ll carry electronic warfare hardware, missiles, and a helicopter, which will all be used for anti-submarine, surface, electromagnetic, and air warfare.
The Constellation should have a top speed of 26 knots (30 mph/48 kph), and a range of about 6,900 miles (11,000 km). It’ll displace almost 7,300 tons when fully loaded, and will measure 496 feet (151 meters) long.
The ship was designed, according to the Navy, to do its thing in both open ocean and littoral environments, and can work as part of a Carrier or Expeditionary Strike Group or a Surface Action Group.
“Our team has worked tirelessly with industry partners to develop an innovative acquisition approach to efficiently procure and produce a 21st-century frigate. The start of Constellation’s construction marks a key milestone on our path to build and deliver this new capability to the fleet,” said in a statement Rear Adm. Casey Moton, Program Executive Officer, Unmanned and Small Combatants (PEO USC).
At the time of writing, there are three such frigates planned: the said USS Constellation, the USS Congress, and the USS Chesapeake.
The Constellation will be manned, of course, by a crew of some 200 people. It’ll carry electronic warfare hardware, missiles, and a helicopter, which will all be used for anti-submarine, surface, electromagnetic, and air warfare.
The Constellation should have a top speed of 26 knots (30 mph/48 kph), and a range of about 6,900 miles (11,000 km). It’ll displace almost 7,300 tons when fully loaded, and will measure 496 feet (151 meters) long.
The ship was designed, according to the Navy, to do its thing in both open ocean and littoral environments, and can work as part of a Carrier or Expeditionary Strike Group or a Surface Action Group.
“Our team has worked tirelessly with industry partners to develop an innovative acquisition approach to efficiently procure and produce a 21st-century frigate. The start of Constellation’s construction marks a key milestone on our path to build and deliver this new capability to the fleet,” said in a statement Rear Adm. Casey Moton, Program Executive Officer, Unmanned and Small Combatants (PEO USC).
At the time of writing, there are three such frigates planned: the said USS Constellation, the USS Congress, and the USS Chesapeake.
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