Fincantieri Marinette Marine is a major contributor to the construction of the US Navy’s Constellation-class frigates in Marinette, Wisconsin. The DoD has awarded the firm a $526 million contract for the fourth Constellation-class frigate, following on from the initial April 2020 contractual obligation for the future USS Constellation at a cost of $795 million. The broader contractual mechanism encompassed options for additional ships, support and logistics services post-delivery, training for crew members, with subsequent contract awards bringing more frigates into the production programme. The future USS Constellation’s design is based on the FREMM frigate platform but has been tailored to American shipbuilding while offering a multi-mission platform for air, missile, surface, undersea, electronic and information warfare.
Constellation-class frigates are 496 feet long, 65 feet beam and powered by a combined diesel-electric and gas propulsion plant. The ships can operate at speeds greater than 26 knots and have a range of 6,000 nautical miles. They are equipped with the Aegis Baseline 10 Combat System, AN/SPY-6 radar, electronic warfare systems, Mark 41 Vertical Launch System cells and facilities for an MH-60R Seahawk helicopter. The programme also has a long-held historical association, carrying the names of ships named Constellation, Congress, Chesapeake, Lafayette and Hamilton. Its construction and delivery schedule has been subject to revisions with the future USS Constellation now due to be delivered later than her planned 2026 schedule. Fincantieri’s Wisconsin shipbuilding network remains involved in this programme and others.
1. Fincantieri Marinette Marine Leads the Constellation-Class Build
Fincantieri Marinette Marine in Wisconsin has become a central part of the U.S. Navy’s Constellation-class frigate programme. The shipbuilder received a $526 million Department of Defense contract for the construction of the fourth Constellation-class frigate, building on the original agreement signed with the U.S. Navy in April 2020. That initial contract covered the lead ship, the future USS Constellation, at an initial cost of $795 million. The original agreement also included options for up to nine additional vessels, taking the potential cumulative contract value to $5.5 billion. That overall figure included ship construction, post-delivery availability support and crew training, creating a wider programme structure around the construction of the frigates.
Major Programme Milestones:
- Wisconsin leads frigate construction
- Fourth frigate contract awarded
- Original contract began 2020
- Lead ship cost $795m
- Potential value reached $5.5bn
Construction has been underway at the Marinette yard across a number of programme phases. Official construction of the future USS Constellation was underway at the repurposed Wisconsin yard from August 2022, with the keel laying taking place 12 April 2024. The provided information also confirms the vessel to be under construction and gives it as being built by Fincantieri Marinette Marine. The programme was subsequently expanded by additional Pentagon contract announcements including a single award valued at more than $1 billion for two more frigates to be named FFG 66 and FFG 67. Five options for follow-on hulls have been exercised since inception, while the provided programme information details changes to the number of ships remaining in the pipeline.
2. USS Constellation Connects Modern Ships With Naval History
The class has a very long connection to American naval history The Constellation class was formally christened the Constellation in 2020 by former U.S. Navy secretary Kenneth Braithwaite to commemorate the original ships of the United States Navy authorized in 1794 by congress. The lead ship of the class, USS Constellation, is the fifth U.S. Navy vessel to bear that name. Named for the first USS Constellation that was one of the original six frigates of the U.S. Navy, the ship was named for the constellation of stars on the United States flag, thus connecting the new frigate with the earliest days of the American navy.
Names With Historical Connections:
- Constellation honours early frigates
- Congress joins the class
- Chesapeake carries historical significance
- Lafayette honours international alliances
- Hamilton honours Alexander Hamilton
Names that are historically significant are also held by other ships of this class. The five ships listed in the programme pipeline include USS Constellation, USS Congress, USS Chesapeake and USS Lafayette. USS Lafayette was officially named by Navy Secretary Carlos Del Toro at a ceremony held in France and the fifth ship in the batch, FFG-66, was announced as USS Hamilton during Fleet Week in New York City. Hamilton was chosen as a tribute to Founding Father Alexander Hamilton, who was described by the provided material as a passionate champion of creating a national navy.
3. The Constellation Frigate Is Based on the FREMM Platform
Fincantieri delivered the Constellation-class through a competition that saw a number of established American shipyards compete for the contract. Fincantieri’s design for the programme was based on the FREMM frigate platform, a recognised international naval platform developed as part of the Franco-Italian shipbuilding programme. The company is currently concluding a 10-ship FREMM frigate programme for the Italian navy, which has given the company direct experience of the platform. Fincantieri was awarded the contract in April 2020, beating a number of other shipbuilders who had presented designs to the US Navy for what would be called the FFG(X) programme.
FREMM Forms The Design Foundation:
- FREMM provides the foundation
- Fincantieri builds Italian FREMMs
- U.S. design modified for needs
- Competitive bidding preceded selection
- Platform has international recognition
The FREMM platform itself is categorized as a European multi-purpose frigate design from Naval Group and Fincantieri. France is using the design as the Aquitaine class and Italy as the Bergamini class, with a total of six built for France and ten for Italy. The first of the FREMM class vessels, Aquitaine, entered French service in November 2012. The Italian Navy has ordered general-purpose and anti-submarine variants of the design, with France ordering anti-submarine and air-defence units; the platform has also been exported. The USN was thought to have planned to procure a variant of the platform for its own Constellation class before the programme change.
4. USS Constellation Has Substantial Size and Range
The future USS Constellation is a large, multi-mission, guided-missile frigate with a substantial physical dimension and long-range operating capability. The dimensions provided on the ship-specific data give the vessel a length of 496 ft, with a beam of 65 ft, and a draft of 18 ft. The Constellation-class information states the fully loaded displacement at 7,291 tons, with another specification reporting 7,400 short tons. This vessel will be propelled by a combined diesel-electric and gas propulsion system and will be capable of speeds in excess of 26 knots. These dimensions are what will allow the frigate to physically house the vessel’s weapons, sensors, aircraft and crew.
Key Ship Specifications:
- Length reaches 496 feet
- Beam measures 65 feet
- Displacement exceeds 7,000 tons
- Speed exceeds 26 knots
- Range reaches 6,000 nautical miles
The ship uses a Combined Diesel-Electric and Gas (CODLAG) drive line which comprises a General Electric LM2500+G4 gas turbine, two electric drive motors, four ship-service diesel generators and an auxiliary drive unit. According to the details supplied, this hybrid configuration provides the capacity for efficient high-speed cruising together with the capability of rapid acceleration when required. At 16 knots on electric drive the frigate is said to be able to travel on a single unrefuelled reserve of 6,000 nautical miles (11,112 km).
5. Its Multi-Mission Design Supports Diverse Operations
Flexibility in the range of tasks that they can undertake is a key feature of the Constellation-class concept. According to the US navy, its proposed class of frigates will be suitable for use in the following areas: air warfare, anti-submarine warfare, surface warfare, electronic warfare, and information operations. The ships will be able to undertake these types of work and also carry rigid-hulled inflatable boats for use during maritime work. For RIBs, each frigate will be able to carry two of them to undertake search-and-seize tasks, transfer personnel, or perform maritime interdiction.
Designed For Multiple Mission Areas:
- Air warfare is supported
- Anti-submarine warfare is included
- Surface warfare forms another role
- Electronic warfare is integrated
- Information operations are supported
The Constellation class is similarly intended for long periods at sea. Constellation-class specifications call for accommodation for up to 200 sailors, 24 commissioned officers and 176 enlisted. The ship’s design is also intended to accommodate crew operations and maintenance, and to support a tactical watch during open-ocean transits. It is sized to accommodate an MH-60R Seahawk, with an oversized hangar, and ancillary systems, such as the RAST Secure and Traverse Aircraft Handling System (RSTARS), Horizontal Reference System (HRS), and night-vision device compatibility, that collectively would support the multi-mission operating concept.
6. Advanced Sensors and Electronic Warfare Systems Equip the Ship
The Constellation-class combat system comprises a self-contained group of sensors, battle-management and electronic warfare systems. The information provided also indicates that the ship’s main combat system is the Aegis Baseline 10 Combat System. The main search and tracking systems on this ship are the AN/SPY-6(V)3 Enterprise Air Surveillance Radar and the AN/SPS-73(V)18 Surface Search Radar, with the presence of sonar and undersea warfare sensors indicating that the ship is armed for submarine-hunting operations. The main air, surface and sub-surface sensors are thus integrated with the ship’s combat system.
Technology Supports Battlefield Awareness:
- Aegis Baseline 10 integrates systems
- AN/SPY-6 provides air surveillance
- AN/SPS-73 handles surface searches
- Sonar supports submarine hunting
- Electronic warfare protects operations
Electronic warfare is another key component of the ship’s self-defence system. The data provided mentions two Surface Electronic Warfare Improvement Program (SEWIP) Block 2 modules the SLQ-32(V)6 and the ship mounts four Mk53 Nulka missile decoy launchers to provide a response to incoming missile threats. These are meant to enable the frigate to respond to threats within a contested electromagnetic environment and contribute to its overall survivability. This approach with the Constellation class, which integrates radar, sonar, electronic warfare and combat-management systems, rather than deploying these sensors and countermeasures separately, is typical.
7. The Frigate Carries a Broad Weapons Package
The vessel is fitted with a range of weapons for surface, air and strike missions. Its bow is fitted with 32 Mark 41 Vertical Launch System cells. According to the information released, the cells can be fitted with BGM-109 Tomahawk land attack cruise missiles, RIM-162 Evolved Sea Sparrow Missile Block 2 (ESSM 2) anti-aircraft missiles, RIM-174 Standard ERAM surface-to-air missiles and the upcoming RIM-66 Standard SM-2 Block 3C surface-to-air missiles. The ship also features specific anti-ship missile launchers and close-in weapon systems.
Weapons Across Several Roles:
- Mk 41 provides vertical launch
- Tomahawk supports long-range strikes
- ESSM supports air defence
- Anti-ship weapons support surface warfare
- Mk 110 provides naval gunfire
16 canister-launched over-the-horizon anti-ship missiles enable the deck to engage surface targets. Point defence is taken care of by the RIM-116 Rolling Airframe Missile (RAM) launchers, while a 57mm gun is armed with the new-generation ALaMO2 projectile for naval gunfire support and surface defense, with M240 or M2 machine guns mounting a strength in the form of heavy machine guns. The Mk 41 system itself is a shipborne missile canister launching system that was developed to enable a ship to defend itself against incoming threats at high fire rates and high volumes. The system was descended from requirements related to Aegis.
8. Fincantieri’s Wisconsin Shipyards Support Major Programmes
Fincantieri’s American facilities form the industrial base for the Constellation-class frigate construction programme. Fincantieri has three major facilities in Wisconsin: Fincantieri Marinette Marine, Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding and Fincantieri ACE Marin, which make up the Wisconsin/Great Lakes shipbuilding group, a network of military and commercial shipbuilders on the Great Lakes serving the US federal government and commercial markets. Fincantieri Marinette Marine in Marinette is the yard selected to deliver the Constellation-class programme. Across the globe, Fincantieri builds 18 ships in four continents and has a total workforce of 21,000 professionals, according to the company supplied information.
Fincantieri’s Industrial Footprint:
- Three major Wisconsin shipyards
- Marinette builds Constellation frigates
- Bay Shipbuilding supports wider work
- ACE Marin joins regional network
- Global workforce reaches 21,000
The Wisconsin yard is involved with more than a single naval construction programme. In addition to the Constellation programme, the Fincantieri Marinette Marine yard has been awarded a contract to build a batch of Littoral Combat Ships (LCSs) for the US Navy, and has also built Multi-Mission Surface Combatants for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia under the US Foreign Military Sales scheme. The operation of the yard on these three programmes, which will include three different classes of ships, is described in the material provided as an indication of the yard’s versatility of production and technical management. The Great Lakes ships would therefore be a significant element in the Fincantieri group’s US manufacturing capability.
9. The Constellation Programme Has Faced Changes to Its Schedule
The information contained in the provided programme tells a number of dates and developments to do with the future USS Constellation. The build date was listed as beginning in 31 August 2022, with the keel laying occurring on 12 April 2024. Original planning shows 2026 as a target date for delivery, yet the later ship data gives the design changes and anticipated limits on service life which has moved it up to 2029. The class data also states that the overall programme was cancelled in November 2025 with only the first two ships already under construction to be built and any remaining orders to be cancelled, and the new FF(X) programme to be based upon the National Security Cutter design.
Programme Timeline And Changes:
- Construction began in 2022
- Keel laid in 2024
- Earlier delivery target was 2026
- Later delivery expected in 2029
- Wider programme changed in 2025
The shifting framework of the programme is also demonstrated by the figures provided for ships planned, ordered and cancelled. Whilst the information on the Constellation-class includes 20 ships planned, with two on order and a further one in construction, it also records 18 cancellations. The initial programme envisaged a larger fleet, with follow-on contracts and options exercised as it developed. This has meant that the current form of the programme is not the same as the initial construct, and so the material provided is indicative of the initial expansion plans for the programme and the later change.
10. The Programme Combines American Manufacturing With International Design Heritage
The Constellation-class programme combines Fincantieri’s global experience in shipbuilding, the design legacy and construction of the FREMM platform at the American shipyard in Wisconsin. Fincantieri’s management has stressed the technological and digital aspects of the ships such as data analytics and cybersecurity. Pierroberto Folgiero, the company’s CEO, noted the focus on providing the US Navy with a very innovative vessel and a “digital profile” for the vessels aligning technological architecture with physical shipbuilding.
A Blend Of Design And Manufacturing:
- FREMM provides design heritage
- Wisconsin handles construction
- Digital systems receive strong emphasis
- Cybersecurity forms a key focus
- Data analytics support future operations
The future USS Constellation also links historical (naval) naming trends with contemporary ship-building technology. Its 496ft hull, combined diesel-electric and gas propulsion, 6,000 nautical mile range, AEGIS combat system, electronic warfare fit, missile-arming and MH-60R Seahawk facilities demonstrate this. The industrial link is via the construction of the ship at Fincantieri Marinette Marine (in Wisconsin) whilst a European design-base link is provided by its FREMM derivation. Information is therefore available to make the Constellation programme appear as a nexus of historical identity, design background and American ship-build experience.
