Is The U.S. Navy Missing The Boat By Not Including The Type 26 In Its Frigate Competition?
The Navy wants to focus on designs that are already in service, but the under construction Type 26 design represents a unique opportunity.
By Joseph TrevithickMay 29, 2019
The War Zone
As the U.S. Navy gets closer to issuing the final request for proposals for its future frigate competition, or FFG(X), one particularly notable design, BAE System's Type 26, has largely been absent from the discussion. It seems particularly curious given that the British-designed ship is well on its way to becoming one of the most popular warships in its class among some of America's closest allies, with 32 examples in various configurations on order for the U.K. Royal Navy, the Royal Australian Navy, and the Royal Canadian Navy.
BAE did propose a variant of the Type 26 to the Navy in 2017, but the United Kingdom-headquartered defense contractor did not receive one of the five initial developmental contracts in 2018. The service says it still expects other firms to make offers when it announces the formal request for FFG(X) proposals, which is supposed to happen by the end of September 2019. But with an eye toward reducing risk and keeping costs low, the program, at present, is focused on designs based on ships that are already in service. Construction of the very first Type 26 for the Royal Navy only began in 2017.
https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/28291/is-the-u-s-navy-missing-the-boat-by-not-including-the-type-26-in-its-frigate-competition
