Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) is planning to issue an open competitive request for proposals (RFP) for design development on the new future frigate program in November, the Navy said Monday.
The future frigate program is called the Guided-Missile Frigate (FFG(X)).
The Navy highlighted in a presolicitation notice that “the overall objective of this early industry involvement is to enable the Government to reduce FFG(X) risk by maturing industry designs to meet the FFG(X) capability.”
Photo: U.S. Navy
The Navy plans to award multiple contracts under the RFP.
The frigate is meant to support combatant and fleet commanders by supplementing undersea and surface warfare capabilities, relieve larger vessels from stressing routine duties during non-war operations, allow for independent operations in a contested environment, extend the fleet tactical grid, and host/control unmanned systems.
The notice highlighted the FFG(X) will contribute to the Navy’s Distributed Maritime Operations Concept by expanding blue force sensors and weapon influence, providing more information to the fleet tactical picture while also challenging adversaries’ intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance, and tracking efforts.
Previously, the Navy posted a Request for Information to FedBizOpps naming capabilities it is seeking in the frigate in preparation of the RFP (Defense Daily, July 13). The RFI explained the Navy is looking to divide ship operations into three phases, ranging from lower level missions to relieve the demand on high end cruisers and destroyers up to aggregating in strike groups and surface action groups.
The FFG(X) program originally was envisioned as being the next step beyond the Littoral Combat Ship, which has had problems with limited surface combat capabilities and frequent criticisms about its survivability.
In the RFI, the Navy said it was interested in including a launcher capability to support a Raytheon [RTN] Evolved Sea Sparrow Missile Block 1 and/or Standard Missile-2 Active, one Sikorsky [LMT] MH-60R Seahawk helicopter, a self-defense launcher capability, a canister launched Over-the-Horizon weapon, Raytheon SeaRAM Mk15 Mod 31 anti-ship missile defense system, and one Northrop Grumman [NOC] MQ-8C Fire Scout-style unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) or similarly sized UAV.
The solicitation next month will provide for Conceptual Design (CD) in accordance with government-developed FFG(X) system specifications, including all technical requirements.
The presolicitation noted all of the frigate construction will occur in U.S. shipyards and in order to be eligible for the CD, offerors must already have a parent design to start from. The Navy defines a parent design “as a design of a ship that has been through production and demonstrated (full scale) at sea.”
Each offeror will only be able to submit one proposal as prime contractor and each prime will only receive one award. The notice said offerors may be subcontractors under a prime in multiple proposals.