US warship design selected as contender for Norwegian frigate program

Norway's Ministry of Defence has selected the US Navy Constellation-class frigate design as one of the contenders in a program to acquire new warships for the Royal Norwegian Navy.

The Constellation-class frigates are being manufactured by Fincantieri Marinette Marine as variants of the European Multi-Mission Frigates (Fregate Europeenne Multimissions; FREMM) designed and built jointly by French defence shipbuilder the Naval Group and Italy's Fincantieri for their respective countries' navies as well as export customers. The ships will be capable of anti-air warfare, anti-submarine warfare, surface warfare, electronic warfare, and information operations.

The final decision regarding the frigate selection will be made in 2025. If selected, the Constellation-class frigates for Norway will be built locally by Fincantieri subsidiary Vard at its Vard Langsten facilities.

Ronny Opsjøn Langset, Yard Director at Vard Langsten and Head of the Governmental Defence Program, said that manufacturing the frigates locally in Norway will result in shorter lead and delivery times while also minimising risks.