U.S. Navy awarded Fincantieri Marinette a contract for the detailed design and construction of the fifth and sixth Constellation class frigates with an amount of $ 1.05 billion. The work must be completed no later than April 2030. Six frigates of the same class are now on order with these two ships.
The Constellation class frigates are based on the Italian FREMM. According to preliminary calculations, it will have a displacement of around 7,500 tonnes and a length of 151.1 metres. They may reach speeds of over 26 mph and a range of up to 6,000 nautical miles. They will accommodate 200 people. The main armament will include a 57 mm gun, four Mk41 octuple launchers for anti-aircraft missiles, up to sixteen NSM anti-ship missiles, and a RAM family anti-missile system. The helipad and hangar can accommodate two MH-60R helicopters or one MH-60R and one MQ-8C UAV.
It was formerly stated that the frigate suffers from the lack of shipwright and the delivery gets delayed.
