A second batch is expected here to need substantial changes to satisfy the US Navy's stronger escort requirement. One institutional explanation connects the service's difficulty with frigates to its post-World War II destroyer identity and congressional interest in standardisation among NATO navies. FF(X) is assessed as a light patrol frigate for presence missions and extra hulls supporting merchant convoys or amphibious groups. Escorting a major carrier task group falls outside that assessment of its role. The fit includes AN/SPS-77 three-dimensional air and surface search radar, while sonar options remain open. The Strait of Hormuz example weighs replacement cost and the number of sailors exposed to mine threats. Appropriate equipment and support remain necessary to give the ship a reasonable chance in dangerous waters.
Chapter · 1:31:39-1:34:22
US destroyer identity and the limits of a patrol frigate
The patrol-frigate mission is distinguished from the stronger escort requirement that a later US production batch might need to address.