February 23, 2018

Handicapping the Navy’s Frigate Competition

By: Jerry Hendrix

The horses in a major new defense-acquisition program are approaching the starting gate, but it’s not too late to handicap the race and place bets on the eventual winner. The process is easier in this competition because, unlike recent previous major program buys, the Navy limited this competition to proven “mature” designs, to include submissions from foreign ship-builders so long as they partnered with an American shipyard. The net result is a competitive field made up of participants with established track records and approximate prices.

Last week the Navy announced the five finalists in its new guided-missile frigate competition.

Traditional American shipbuilders Huntington Ingalls Incorporated and General Dynamics made the cut, although General Dynamics made it into the competition by partnering with Spain’s Navantia and using its F-100 frigate design. Huntington Ingalls appears to have presented a design derived from its National Security Cutter, currently in production for the U.S. Coast Guard.

Read the full article in National Review.

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