The US Navy faced significant issues with operational and development costs. After the failure of the Typhon program, development projects often ran over budget, were canceled, stalled upon reaching operational status, or deemed impossible. This created a substantial problem as the Navy had critical responsibilities to fulfill: countering Soviet submarines, defending carrier battle groups from aerial attacks, and updating an increasingly obsolete fleet.
The Charles F. Adams-class air defense ships needed replacement by the new Aegis destroyers, while the successful Spruance-class destroyers couldn't be produced in sufficient numbers to replace the FRAM destroyers. The main air defense fighter, the F-14 Tomcat, needed upgrades to remain effective. Each of these programs faced potential cancellation daily. Restarting any of these projects would be even costlier, despite budget overruns and flaws. Yet, decisions made by a less informed Congress exacerbated the situation.
To circumvent this, the Navy needed a strategy: ensure Congress wasn’t the sole decider of what gets developed and funded. If a development was already in production for allied nations, it would be harder for Congress to cancel it. The Navy's in-house design team created a versatile ship that could be built in any shipyard, domestically or internationally. The value lay in its systems, which were prime targets for cost-cutting. More widespread use of these systems would eventually lower maintenance and development costs.
This design effort was a spin-off from the team working on the new PF-1098 class frigates meant to replace the FRAM destroyers. By keeping the project’s funding separate from congressional scrutiny, the design incorporated many elements from the Patrol Frigate. However, it also featured significant differences: metric measurements, a hull similar to European designs, and a crew size 20% smaller than comparable US Navy ships. The powerplant used was a COGOG layout (2 x Tyne + 2 x LM2500), common in European designs. Interestingly, to allow for the midship hangar on a relatively small ship, the Tyne's were placed outboard of the propeller shafts to allow their intakes and removal hatches to be aside the hangar.
The resulting design utilized the Sea Phoenix missile, securing its missile guidance system and the AWG-9 radar development. The Sea Phoenix variant chosen had a modified Tartar airframe, allowing it to be launched from the Mk 26 Common launcher, a critical system for both the new Aegis destroyer and the Patrol Frigate. The LM2500 engine was selected to reduce maintenance costs, having been newly introduced with the Spruance class. Other systems like the Mk 45 gun, Mk 32 SVTT, and SLQ-32 were included for similar reasons. The sonar was an SQQ-23, a sonar also considered for the Patrol Frigate, capable enough but not as expensive as the SQS-53 used in the Spruance. A spot on the bow was reserved for a bold-on CIWS, similar to how this was to be done on the future Patrol Frigate and how it was done on the Spruance class, as the in-development Phalanx was not ready for deployment on board yet.
Specifications:
- Length: 130.6 m
- Beam (wl): 14.4 m
- Displacement: 3750 t full load
- Range: 4700 nm at 16 knots
- Complement: 170
- Speed: 30 knots
The export frigate essentially became a smaller version of the Spruance class, with some characteristics of the DXG. It could operate a LAMPS helicopter, provide gunfire support, defend against air attacks, and attack Soviet submarines. However, its smaller size and fewer weapons meant it couldn't perform these tasks as effectively or under as many conditions as the larger Spruance class. Still, the export frigate was affordable and capable, making it an attractive option.
Allied navies, monitoring the Patrol Frigate's development, showed immediate interest in the Export Frigate. The German Navy and Australia each ordered four. The Netherlands considered it for their frigate program but requested their radar systems and construction at their own yards, increasing costs and reducing its value for the US Navy and companies involved. Ultimately, the Dutch adopted the hull design but used different weapons, propulsion, and radar systems to match their existing navy assets.
Overall, the export frigates were quite successful. Their sale helped bridge the gap to the new PF and DG programs for US shipyards and reduced costs for the Phoenix missile, Aegis DG, and many other subsystems. Even Congress was pleased, despite their initial concerns about the risks taken with taxpayer money without their involvement.
