Constellation-class frigate

The Constellation class is a group of multi-mission guided-missile frigates for the United States Navy, designed as a modified version of the Italian Navy FREMM frigate by Fincantieri and built by Fincantieri Marinette Marine in Marinette, Wisconsin. The Navy announced the winning design in April 2020, after the FFG(X) competition among five shipbuilders, and meant to buy up to twenty ships as a follow-on to the troubled Freedom and Independence classes of littoral combat ships. The ships were to carry at least 32 Mark 41 vertical launch cells and use a combined diesel-electric and gas propulsion system new to the Navy. The lead ship, Constellation, began construction in September 2022. Delays and costs mounted, and in November 2025 the Navy cancelled the program, letting only the first two ships be finished and cancelling the remaining four on order.