FSC will draw from destroyer designs

The Navy plans to buy its first Future Surface Combatant in 2023 – a large warship to support the Arleigh Burke Flight III combat system and pull portions from the Arleigh Burke-class (DDG-51) and Zumwalt-class (DDG-1000) destroyer designs. The future combatant – which hasn’t been identified as a cruiser or destroyer - will be larger, and more costly, than the Arleigh Burke Flight III design; but will have room to grow into for decades ahead, according to Surface Warfare Director Adm. Ron Boxall’s OPNAV N96 memorandum told about to USNI News on Aug. 28. The FSC refers to a family of systems for a destroyer-like combatant, Littoral Combat Ship, future frigate, large unmanned surface vessel, and medium size Unmanned Surface Vessel, and alongside an integrated combat system that will be a common to all those ships. Navy leadership just recently signed an initial capabilities document for the family of systems that are to define what the future surface force would be required to do, and how each of those four platforms could contribute to the mission requirement. With the ICD signed, the Surface Warfare directorate will now begin diving into the finer details of each platform. First up for the Navy will be the large combatant, according to Boxall. After adding the Flight III design, Boxall said the resulting war-fighting capability is one the Navy can use for years. The frigate program mandated bidders use mature parent designs – Independence or Freedom class. The Austal USA shipyard of Mobile, Ala., builds the Independence LCS. “A lot of people in the world make frigates,” Boxall told USNI; but not many make large combatants. With the large combatant, the Navy is starting with the DDG-51 Flight III capability development document (CDD) and conclude a finished product as a “modified Flight III CDD.” Once the first large combatant is designed and purchased in a 2023 “block” – following the FY 2018-22 current block buy of Flight III DDGs from Ingalls Shipbuilding of Pascagoula, Miss., and General Dynamics Bath (Maine) Iron Works, which spans from FY 2018-22 – new blocks will be planned every five years. (Source: USNI News 08/28/18) Gulf Coast Note: HII-Pascagoula launched the future USS Frank E. Petersen Jr. (DDG 121) in mid-July. DDG 121 will be the 70th destroyer of its class to join the fleet. It is being configured as a Flight IIA destroyer. HII-Pascagoula is also currently in production on future destroyers Paul Ignatius (DDG 117), Delbert D. Black (DDG 119), Lenah H. Sutcliffe Higbee (DDG 123), and Jack H. Lucas (DDG 125) – all part of the five-ship multi-year procurement.