The U.S. Navy’s Constellation-Class Frigate Crisis Keeps Getting Worse

The U.S. Navy’s Constellation-Class Frigate Crisis Keeps Getting Worse

Key Points and Summary – The Constellation-class frigate was sold as the Navy’s antidote to the Littoral Combat Ship: a proven European hull, minimal changes, and a low-risk path to a capable small surface combatant. Instead, the design has grown heavier, more complex, and more expensive, with the lead ship already exceeding its weight margin before it is even built. An artist rendering of the U.S. Navy guided-missile frigate FFG(X). The new sma…