Navy: No decision on Perry frigates

The Navy has made no final decision on reactivating decommissioned Oliver Hazard Perry-class frigates for the purpose of expanding the Navy’s fleet to 355 ships. Yet, an internal draft report prepared in October for the Chief of Naval Operations indicates the decision to reactivate 10 Perry frigates could cost about $4.3 billion. Earlier this year, both CNO Adm. John Richardson and Navy Secretary Richard V. Spencer was examining bringing back up to seven Perry frigates to fill the gaps in small surface combatants, primarily for low-intensity regions like U.S. Southern Command. “No decisions have been made regarding the Perry-class frigates,” according to a statement provided to USNI News on Nov. 14. “The Navy is exploring all options … (A)t present, the Navy is simply exploring the possibility and measuring the costs,” the statement read. Instead of reinvesting in the frigates, the draft memo recommends putting money into modernizing Ticonderoga-class cruisers and the new guided-missile frigate (FFG(X)) that is set to supersede the Littoral Combat Ship. Naval Sea Systems Command has released the final Request For Proposal for the future frigate design. (Source: USNI News 11/14/17) Gulf Coast Note: Austal USA of Mobile, Ala., currently builds the Independence class of LCS.