This is a video of the USS FFG-80, the first in the new FFG(X) series of frigates.

These large and powerful frigates are being built as a follow-ons for the the two LCS (Littoral Combat Ships), the Freedom and Independence classes, which are much smaller and were plagued by plans to swap out mission modules in a 24-48 time span at local, in theater, or in area of operation shipyards to turn them into Anti-surface, anti-submarine, or anti mine (either laying or detecting mines). As it turned out, the change out was taking one to two weeks, and when the vessels were set for one operation, they were very weak in the others. Particularly in the anti-shipping and anti-aircraft areas. This made them weak companions for aircraft carrier or Amphibious strike groups. In addition, the vessels had a small crew in number.

There was much automation in the ships, but not enough crew, if was felt by naval officers and enlisted men who had been on damaged vessels, to effectively do repair work necessary to keep a stricken vessel afloat and then make her operational, or at least capable of leaving the area of operation to get her repairs. They had envisioned a one to two day turn around the change out mission modules so the vessels could be anti=surface, anti-submarine, or ant-mine vessels within the time frame was, as it turned out, the change was taking one to two weeks which was not acceptable, and the size of the crew, being able to be made small because of all of the automation that allowed fewer crew members, but which was viewed as insufficient to allow necessary repair work at sea so the ship could either get back to a friendly port, or keep fighting if it could. So, instead of the originally planned 55 ships of the two classes together, it has now been decided to built about 35 or 36 of the ships, and now build twenty of these larger frigates which will have a smaller AEGIS and AEGIS sensors to allow them to perform, or have Cooperative Engagement (CE) performed on them.

This means that the vessels can take advantage of the much more powerful AEGIS systeme on the larger Burke class AEGIS destroyers, orr even larger and more powerful Ticonderoga class AEGIS cruisers.

The first ship will be laid down in 2021 and expected to be launched later in 2022, and then become initially operational in 2023, by which time the second ship, will be launching.

The pennant numbers are expected to start with FFG-80, and originally it was leaked that they could be the Brooke class, after first true guided missile frigates (FFG) class, the Brooke class, built in the 1960s. The Navy has since announced that the Brooke name would NOT be the name for the frigates, but did not indicate that the pennant numbers were wrong.

This is a 1/350 scale model of the ship (and as you can see, I have two of them). There is no "kit" available for these vessels, but I have a friend who operates a company on-line known as the Dutch Fleet Naval Miniatures who has created both a 1/350 scale and a 1/700 scale version of the vessels. He works with the company known as Shapeways to market his vessels and equipment and he makes vessels, aircraft, and equipment in numerous scale. Here is his main web page on Shapeways:

[ Ссылка ]

...and here is the page for the 1/350th FFG(X) models that I purchased:

[ Ссылка ]

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