A modern frigate?

[uk 75]

Encouraged by the quality of the discussion on a modern cruiser I thought I would start one on what seems to be the most difficult class of ship to introduce into service, the escort or frigate.
Existing threads on real designs for the USN and RN have been the focus of these ideas so far but again I thought a blank piece of paper.
It ought to be easy:
gun at the front, helo at the back, some Anti ship or Anti sub missiles and a point defence gun or missile.

 

[SSgtC]

So I think a ship around 450' LOA, gas turbine propulsion, top speed between 27 and 32 knots depending on if it needs to escort carriers, single 57mm gun forward, 40 cell Mk41 VLS for SAMs and VL-ASROC, 2xMk32 SVTTs, fitted for but not with 2xMk141 Harpoon launchers, best available bow sonar and towed array, flight deck large enough for the CMV-22 and hangar space for up to 3xSH-60 helicopters

 

[isayyo2]

While I think the Constitution Class is an excellent new chapter for the Navy, I really wish they would have went with something lower-end like the Ingalls Patrol Frigate.

An FF/G should be distinct from the Arleigh Burke's, not just a shrunk version for 1-2 hundred million cheaper.
16 - 32 VLS cells, a 5"/62 gun with HVP shells, RAM and HELIOS laser, 11M RHIBs, Hanger for SH-60 + 1-2 MQ-8s, Ice-strengthed hull
Costs should be under 700 Million and modular construction would allow multiple shipyards to partake in bidding, like FFG-7s. FFGs should displace the Destroyers from areas like Somalia and South China Sea, freeing up DDGs for Carrier escort and BMD missions.
Alternatively, I would have jumped on the Type-26s in a heartbeat; such a no-brainer.

 

[zen]

I'm starting to come around to C-Dome an Iron Dome shipboard installation. The ability to deal with rockets and mortars when close to shore has to be of utility and the interceptors are cheaper than most SAMs. Making them more affordable for anti-UAV work too.

While something like Sea Ceptor and FLAADS is a decent lower tier SAM system, it really needs static face AESAs to get the most out if the system. But additional staring EO/IR sensors ought to provide a passive alternative as well.

Endurance is a critical issue IMO. Which is why the improvements in diesel and electric drive is so attractive. GTs are best for sprints and surges of power generation.

The size of the helicopter deck delivers increasing flexibility even if the hanger is limited. The bigger the helicopter, the more can be done with it and above a certain deck area, smaller UAVs and light helicopters can be operated in numbers.

 

[Foo Fighter]

I may be a little out of line here but why are some ships built with isolation for their powerplants and others not? I believe all military vessels should have this feature as any peer or near peer nation would want to take out escort ships to clear the way for follow on attacks.

 

[Grey Havoc]

Penny pinching and associated corner cutting, to put it simply.

 

[SSgtC]

I may be a little out of line here but why are some ships built with isolation for their powerplants and others not? I believe all military vessels should have this feature as any peer or near peer nation would want to take out escort ships to clear the way for follow on attacks.

Cost. Properly sound isolating equipment is very expensive up front and extraordinarily labor intensive to maintain once its installed.

 

[Foo Fighter]

I understand cost issues but the ships and crews are a substantial investment and their loss costs more to replace than the initial investment considering inflation. Also, any modern conflict will be limited in nature and replacement will be outside that timeframe so resources will become scarce and quick once the shooting starts. I believe the cost upfront will be dwarfed by the cost of replacements and the possible loss of further protected assets.

 

[Grey Havoc]

Logic and what passes for beancounter logic are usually strange bedfellows at best, unfortunately. As for a major modern conflict being limited in nature though, I wouldn't be so sure. For example, many people thought the two World Wars to date would be short in duration.

 

[uk 75]

The Royal Navy gun Leanders seem to me to embody the reality of a frigate's life. Apart from the unique circumstances of the Falklands War they spent their liives in peacetime roles ranging from "showing the flag" (for which their elegant looks and large helicopter deck and hangar for receptions were perfect) to patroling the Caribbean or Gulf or protecting trawlers (not their finest hour).
Had it been necessary in a NATO/Soviet war they would have hunted Soviet subs with their Wasp helo and Limbo. Many would have been sunk by Soviet subs or missiles from aircraft and ships in the short bloody war for the Atlantic.
Their successors, the very 1980s looking T23s were not so pretty but still have done sterling work showing the flag etc. Apart from the short Iraq conflicts they have been so far spared any military action.
This balance between likely actual work and a war we hope will never come is there again in the Type 26. These are niw named after destroyers/cruisers. Maybe the Type 31s will have Leander class names?

 

[Pioneer]

So I think a ship around 450' LOA, gas turbine propulsion, top speed between 27 and 32 knots depending on if it needs to escort carriers, single 57mm gun forward, 40 cell Mk41 VLS for SAMs and VL-ASROC, 2xMk32 SVTTs, fitted for but not with 2xMk141 Harpoon launchers, best available bow sonar and towed array, flight deck large enough for the CMV-22 and hangar space for up to 3xSH-360 helicopters

Hmm, when you say "SH-360" are you referring to the Boeing Vertol 360? or do you mean Sikorsky SH-60??

Regards
Pioneer

 

[SSgtC]

So I think a ship around 450' LOA, gas turbine propulsion, top speed between 27 and 32 knots depending on if it needs to escort carriers, single 57mm gun forward, 40 cell Mk41 VLS for SAMs and VL-ASROC, 2xMk32 SVTTs, fitted for but not with 2xMk141 Harpoon launchers, best available bow sonar and towed array, flight deck large enough for the CMV-22 and hangar space for up to 3xSH-360 helicopters

Hmm, when you say "SH-360" are you referring to the Boeing Vertol 360? or do you mean Sikorsky SH-60??

Regards
Pioneer

Yeah, typo. I had been writing notes for my own TL and my phone autocorrected to SH-3 and I didn't delete it far enough back before adding the "60" in. That should read SH-60