FREMM modularity and the Constellation redesign problem

FREMM was conceived as a modular, adaptable frigate family that customers could configure for different mission mixes. That flexibility still assumes users will work with the interfaces and modules built into the design. The US Constellation program illustrates the consequences of replacing those modules with American equipment and reconfiguring the ship around it. Even air-conditioning units of roughly the same size can put their intake hoses and power connections in different places. Rerouting those services for one substitution after another can turn individually modest changes into a substantial redesign of the ship.