Two and a half years after the award of the contract (April 30, 2020) for the supply of 20 multi-mission frigates to the US Navy, construction work began on August 31, at the Fincantieri Marinette Marine shipyard in Wisconsin, of the first unit of the class Constellation.
Le Constellation, compared to the Italian-French project, they will have a displacement of 7.200 tons, instead of 6.700, and a length greater than 7 meters. The hull will have a different conformation, with the removal at the bow of the sonar and the installation of an AESA AN / SPY-6 fixed face radar (the same as the destroyers Burke).
The most marked differences, however, will concern the armament. In fact, the American FREMMs will be equipped with 32 vertical cells (VLS) Mk-41, while the FREMMs of the Navy have only 16 A50 cells. SM-6 surface-to-air missiles, with anti-ballistic and anti-ship capabilities, will be installed in the cells; RIM-162 surface-to-air missiles Evolved Sea Sparrow. In addition, it will be equipped with an Mk-49 launcher for RIM-116 short-range surface-to-air missiles.
As for anti-ship capabilities, the Constellation they will be equipped with 16 anti-ship missiles (the Italian FREMMs do not currently have them), probably with the RGM-184 NSM.
Particularly interesting is the adoption of the 2005/57 mm Mk70 (Mk-110) Bofors cannon (since 3 part of the BAE System group), instead of the classic 127/64 and 76/62 mm guns.
Despite its smaller caliber, the 57mm piece's high rate of fire (225 rounds / min.) Can saturate a lens with more explosives than the ubiquitous Leonardo 76 / 62mm (139 theoretical rounds / min. ). By way of comparison, a sustained fire of 10 seconds would fire 16,5 kg of explosives compared to 13,75 kg for the Super Quick 76 mm. Not to mention that the latest version of 76/62, the Overbridge (which arm the new class patrol boats Thaon di Revel), has the barrel cooling sleeve too short, thus jeopardizing the rate of fire, presumably lower than the theoretical data declared.
In addition, the 57 mm complex is equipped with a radar that measures the velocity at the muzzle of the bullet and sends the data to the computer of the fire control system, which uses them to calculate the trajectory and estimate the target's interception point. The cannon can use PFHE (Proximity-Fuzed High Explosive) ammunition, HCER (High Capacity Extended Range, capable of carrying a greater explosive charge thanks to the use of special steels which allowed to reduce the thickness of the shell) and the HCER-BB (Base Bleed) ammunition that allows you to reach distances up to 21 km. However, the US Navy will acquire a new 57mm ammunition, called Mk-332 mod. 0. This shot was developed under the program Advanced Low-Cost Munitions Ordnance (ALaMO) of L3 Mustang. Precise details on ballistic performance were not disclosed. The MK-332 uses an RF system to track the target and, at a predetermined time, initiate a steering maneuver to optimize flight time, it is also designed to detonate inside the target.
In short, both from the point of view of the structure and of the armaments, the new class of multi-mission frigates Constellation will very few similarities with the original FREMMs.
Photo: US Navy
