Source: HIIThe Announcement
On December 19, 2025, the U.S. Navy announced its plan to introduce a new class of small surface combatant ships, the FF(X), as a critical component of the Navy’s fleet of the future. The Navy selected HII’s Ingalls Shipbuilding division to design and build the future frigates, which will be based on HII’s Legend-class National Security Cutter design.
In his announcement, Secretary of the Navy John Phelan applauded the vessel as an American-built ship with a proven track record — HII’s Ingalls Shipbuilding has already built 10 Legend-class national security cutters for the U.S. Coast Guard. By leveraging an already completed design, the Navy seeks to reduce costs, production timelines, and technical risk. Accordingly, the Navy will acquire these ships using a lead yard — HII’s Ingalls Shipbuilding — and will develop a competitive follow-on strategy for multi-yard construction.
“To deliver at speed and scale, I’ve directed the acquisition of a new frigate class based on HII’s Legend-Class National Security Cutter design: a proven, American-built ship that has been protecting U.S. interests at home and abroad,” — Secretary John Phelan
The Navy aims to launch the first hull in the water in 2028.
The Context
The announcement of the new FF(X) design came just weeks after the cancellation of the Constellation-class frigate program. On November 25, 2025, Secretary Phelan announced that the U.S. Navy would terminate the last four ships in the Constellation-class frigate program, keeping only the two vessels already under construction — Constellation (FFG-62) and Congress (FFG-63). In justifying the decision, Secretary Phelan noted that the fleet is transitioning towards faster procurement to grow the fleet on a more urgent timeline, and that the cancellation of the Constellation-class will shift money towards new classes of ships that can be built at more yards at a faster pace.
Wisconsin-based Fincantieri Marinette Marine had won the initial design and construction contract for the Constellation-class frigate in 2020. Since then, the $22 billion program received increasing scrutiny from both lawmakers and the Pentagon due to a series of schedule delays, cost overruns, and Navy-implemented design changes. Notably, the Constellation-class ended up with 15 percent commonality to its parent design — the FREMM frigate — down from the goal of 85 percent. A 2024 report from the U.S. Government Accountability Office found the program was 36 months behind schedule.
The New Frigate
According to the Navy, the FF(X) will be a smaller, highly adaptable surface combatant designed to complement the Fleet’s larger, multi-mission warships and enhance operational flexibility around the globe. While its primary mission will be surface warfare, the FF(X) will reportedly be designed to carry modular payloads and command unmanned systems, enabling the vessel to execute a broad spectrum of operations.
As mentioned, the FF(X) will be based on the design of the Coast Guard’s national security cutter. Of the Coast Guard’s white-hull patrol cutter fleet, the NSC is the largest and most technologically sophisticated. The NSC measures 418 feet in length, has a beam of 54 feet, a draft of 22 feet and 6 inches, and displaces 4,500 long tons. The vessel has a maximum speed of 28 knots, a range of 12,000 nautical miles, can travel for 60- to 90-day cycles, and operates with a crew of 148.
Supporting the “Golden Fleet”
The Navy’s FF(X) ship design will be part of the Trump administration’s “Golden Fleet” concept. While the administration has released few concrete details about its concept, the idea broadly seeks to shift the balance of the Navy’s fleet away from a prioritization of larger, more expensive vessels toward a greater number of small surface combatants and unmanned vessels, along with an undetermined number of more heavily armored “battleships” with increased lethality.
A Busy Shipyard
HII’s Ingalls Shipbuilding has delivered 10 Legend-class national security cutters to the U.S. Coast Guard, with the final cutter delivered in October 2023. At present, Ingalls Shipbuilding is simultaneously building three classes of ships: Flight III Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers (DDG), America-class amphibious assault ships (LHA), and Flight II San Antonio-class amphibious transport docks (LPD). The shipyard is also modernizing Zumwalt-class guided missile destroyers with technology upgrades.
Key Takeaway
The Navy’s decision to cancel the Constellation-class program in favor of the National Security Cutter design clearly emphasizes the service’s need for American-made vessels produced as quickly as possible. Significant delays were undoubtedly a key rationale for the Constellation-class program’s cancellation. Thus, the adoption of an already-proven ship design proved too appealing for the Navy to ignore, especially as China continues to build warships at an alarmingly fast rate. Moreover, selecting a domestically-built vessel reduces dependence on foreign supply chains.
“Shipyards will be measured against one outcome: delivering combat power to the Fleet as fast as possible.” — Secretary John Phelan
image sources
- FF(X) Concept Design: HII
