A Case for a Constellation-class Flight II

By Mikaȅl Perron, 2 May 2026

The cancellation of the Constellation-class frigate should be reconsidered by the US government. The proposed FF(x) frigate based on the Legend-class Security Cutter actually is a Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) weapon package with added reliability, range and good sea keeping attributes but that is far from being enough to make it a high-intensity fighting ship. The USN means to utilise mission packages on the stern section and to operate them with autonomous systems but all of those do not exist at the moment. We can all think of the different mission packages developed for the LCS that took forever to materialize or never did at all. What the USN is lacking, and what the Constellation-class should have been from the beginning, is an ASW/escort frigate and not a mini-Arleigh Burke ship.

The best anti-submarine warfare (ASW) assets of the USN are of course its SSN fleet but they do not possess enough of them. The shipyards are struggling to deliver them on time and the situation is aggravated by the AUKUS commitment that will see some Virginia-class boats transferred to Australia. While the Legend-class is not designed to be a quiet submarine hunter, the Constellation-class is based on the FREMM design which is optimized for such a task. The French FREMM won the USN ‘hook ‘em’ award four times between 2020 and 2026, demonstrating the quality of the design as a top-of-the-line ASW asset. There will be a need to choose where the SSN are employed so when the latter are not available, a frigate with core ASW built-in capabilities will be more than necessary.

Beside ASW capabilities, it has been demonstrated over the course of the last few years that escort vessels will be in great demand. We might just think of the missile attacks in the Red Sea or the blocking of the Strait of Hormuz to realize that escort vessels are essential to keep maritime traffic flowing. In time of conflict every sea line of communication (SLOC) is a potential area where large-scale attacks could be staged on the commercial fleets of this world. In case of conflict, we might need to organise convoys to keep the flow of goods. In case of conflict with a major adversary, there would be a need to escort the Military Sealift Command ships in order to keep the fighting fleet going and you don’t want to use a Burke-class for that.

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Latest CNR: Vol. 21 No. 3 (2026)

The second article, “The Strategic Utility of Aircraft Carriers in China’s Ambitions in East Asia,” discusses the rapid growth of China’s aircraft carrier capability and how and where Beijing would likely use them in the case of war. The third article is “Why Does Canada have a Navy? Reflecting on the Canadian Leaders at Sea Program.” In this article, the author addresses a simple question that was asked while he was participating in the CLaS program, and considers what a navy represents and why Canada has one. The final essay, “SS Nerissa: A Tragic Footnote to History,” tells the little-known story of the last voyage of SS Nerissa that was sunk by a U-boat while transporting troops and civilians across the Atlantic in the Second World War.

If that isn’t enough to spark your interest, we have our usual Making Waves commentaries. We have a commentary about hydrography in the Arctic. Sound boring? It’s not. If Canada is getting submarines that are expected to operate in the Arctic, Ottawa needs to act now to map the seafloor there. We have a commentary about the many historic discussions about moving the Coast Guard into the defence department. We have a commentary about the unthinkable – i.e., having naval ships that can act as ‘tripwires’ in the event that the United States decides to blockade Canada. We have an account of a conference in Australia, Canadian interest in East Asia, and preparing for Russia in the Arctic.

And, of course, we have our regular columns. “A View from the West” looks at North Korea’s increasing focus on its navy. “Dollars and Sense” examines the defence-related parts of Budget 2025, and “Warship Developments” updates us on several interesting recent naval decisions.  

In addition to all this great information, we have our usual amazing photos!

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