The JS Yahagi, a Mogami-class frigate, at Sea. The Mogami-class frigate is one of three foreign designs the US Navy is considering for its own ships. (Wikimedia Commons/Sengoku2501)
US Navy Considering These Three Foreign Ships for New Frigate Design
The US Navy, while the most powerful in the world, has fewer ships than the Chinese navy, and wants to acquire foreign-designed and -built ships to close the gap.
The US Navy is eyeing foreign ship designs in an attempt to make up for its smaller surface combatant fleet compared to China.
The Pentagon and White House are considering foreign frigate designs from Japan, South Korea, and Turkey for a new class of frigates.
“The President has directed the Navy to aggressively increase domestic shipbuilding capacity, including leveraging the proven shipbuilding skills and industrial expertise of our allies,” Navy Captain Ron Flanders told USNI News.
“We are actively developing options to fulfill the President’s intent to deliver ships faster while ensuring long-term investment, technology transfer, and workforce expansion within United States shipyards,” Flanders added.
The federal fiscal year 2027 budget allocates $1.85 billion to acquire up to two foreign-built ships before transferring construction and manufacturing to American shipyards.
A Potential Hurdle to Buying Foreign Ships
Federal law (10 USC 8679) states that foreign-built warships cannot serve in the US Navy. Congress passed the legislation to promote US shipbuilding capabilities and bolster national security in the event of a conflict.
The White House has signaled that it wishes to bypass this legislation by invoking “a national security” waiver. In an August 13 memo to the Pentagon titled “Rebuilding the United States Navy and America’s Shipbuilding Industrial Base,” President Donald Trump urged Congress to consider foreign warship designs to bolster the US Navy’s numbers. Foreign companies would be required to make major investments to buy, build, or modernize US shipyards and to train American workers.
Possible Foreign Ship Designs for the US Navy
The Navy is considering three different frigate designs:
- The Japanese Mogami-class guided-missile frigate,
- The South Korean Chungnam-class guided-missile frigate, and
- The Turkish Istanbul-class guided-missile frigate.
These are the specifications for each ship:
| Ship | Mogami-Class Frigate | Chungnam-Class Frigate | Istanbul-Class Frigate |
| Country | Japan | South Korea | Turkey |
| Year Introduced | 2022 | 2023 | 2017 |
| Number Built | 9 (12 planned) | 4 (6 planned) | 4 (10 planned) |
| Length | 434 ft 9 in (132.5 m) | 423 ft 3 in (129 m) | 371 ft 5 in (113.2 m) |
| Beam (Width) | 53 ft 6 in (16.3 m) | 48 ft 7 in (14.8 m) | 47 ft 3 in (14.4 m) |
| Displacement | 5,500 tons full load | 3,600 tons (standard)~4,300 tons (full load) | 3,417 tons |
| Propulsion | Combined diesel and gas (CODAG) * 1 Rolls-Royce MT30 gas turbine * 2 MAN Diesel V28/33DD STC engines (70,000 hp total) | CODLOG (Combined Diesel-Electric or Gas) * 2 Rolls-Royce MT30 gas turbines * 4 MTU 12V4000 M43B diesel generators * 2 Leonardo electric motors * 2 controllable pitch propellers | Combined diesel and gas (CODAG) * 1 GE LM2500 Gas turbine * 2 5.766HP MTU Diesel Machine * 2 controllable pitch propellers |
| Speed | 30+ knots (35 mph, 56 km/h) | 30 knots (34.5 mph, 56 km/h) Max.: 18 knots (20.7 mph, 33 km/h) | 14 knots (16 mph, 26 km/h) Max: 29+ knots (33 mph, 54 km/h) |
| Range | ~10,000 nmi (11,500 mi, 18,500 km) | 4,500 nmi (5,178 mi, 8,330 km) | 5,700 nmi (6,600 mi, 10,600 km) |
| Armament | * One 5-inch naval gun * two missile canisters * one SeaRAM surface-to-air missile system * torpedo tubes * minelaying equipment * 16 Mk-41 VLS * two remote weapon stations * can carry one SH-60L helicopter | * Missiles: 16-cell K-VLS-II (K-SAAM, SSM-700K C-Star, Hong Sang Eo anti-sub rocket) * One Mk 45 5-inch deck gun * 30mm CIWS | * 1 MKE 76 mm/62-caliber gun * 1 Aselsan GOKDENIZ 35 mm dual barreled CIWS * 2 Aselsan SMASH 200/25 25 mm RCWS * 4 (total 16) Atmaca anti-ship missiles * up to 16 SAPAN or SIPER Block 1 Surface-to-air missiles or up to 64 smaller Hisar-D surface to air missiles * ZIPKIN 100/D Torpedo tube system * 2 324 mm (13 in) Double Torpedo launchers with Roketsan Orka or MK-46M5 Torpedoes * can carry one S-70B Seahawk helicopter |
| Crew | 90 | 120 | 123 |
Another design that could interest the Navy is Rheinmetall’s GMF 140. This new frigate design will be on the larger end of the spectrum for frigates (6,000 ton displacement) and will pack a 64-cell Vertical Launching System (VLS) that can host air defense, anti-ship, and land-attack missiles, in addition to weapons and sensors for anti-submarine warfare. Indeed, in its marketing of the GMF 140, the German company specifically stated that the North American market is of primary concern.
A Failed Foreign Ship Design
Last fall, former Secretary of the Navy John Phelan cancelled the Constellation-class guided-missile frigate program after repeated delays and cost overruns.
The Constellation-class frigates were being built by Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri in Wisconsin shipyards. The design was originally intended to be based on the Franco-Italian Frégate Européenne Multi-Mission/Fregata Europea Multi-Missione (FREMM), but the Navy opted to alter about 85 percent of the vessel. The project was running three years behind schedule when the Navy decided to scuttle it.
The Threat of the Chinese Fleet
The exact number of the Chinese naval fleet is up for discussion. Naturally, Beijing tries to keep its shipbuilding program under close wraps. But in the age of private satellites, geolocation, and social media, it is hard to mask a surface combatant under construction.
Data from the World Directory of Modern Military Warships (WDMMW) indicates that China has 405 active hulls, but some estimates put the People’s Liberation Army Navy fleet at 700 warships and support vessels. In comparison, the US Navy has fewer than 300 warships currently and support ships, with about one-third undergoing routine maintenance.
The US has more aircraft carriers, destroyers, and submarines than China does, but far fewer smaller surface vessels. And the US currently has no frigates.
| Country | United States | China |
| Personnel | ~344,000 | ~384,000 |
| Total Active Hulls | 232 | 405 |
| Tonnage | 8,266,000 | 3,192,000 |
| Aircraft Carriers | 11 | 3 |
| Destroyers | 75 | 47 |
| Frigates | 0 | 49 |
| Submarines | 71 | 60 |
| Other Ships | ~75 | ~240 |
To be sure, the US strategy hinges on the help of regional allies and partners. Japan or Australia, for instance, would greatly bolster US fleet numbers if they decide to join in a potential future conflict.
However, the best strategy is the one that rests on one’s forces. Thus, the Navy’s consideration of foreign frigate designs to bolster its surface combatant numbers is a prudent calculation.
About the Author: Stavros Atlamazoglou
Stavros Atlamazoglou is a seasoned defense journalist specializing in special operations and a Hellenic Army veteran (national service with the 575th Marine Battalion and Army HQ). He holds a BA from the Johns Hopkins University, an MA from the Johns Hopkins’ School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS), and a JD from Boston College Law School. His work has been featured in Business Insider, Sandboxx, and SOFREP.
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