The centerpiece of the Trump administration’s revamp of the U.S. Navy is the largest surface combatant America will build since World War II. The U.S. Navy will buy two new “battleships” as part of the “Golden Fleet” effort,

After killing the Constellation-class frigate program, the Navy announced plans to build a replacement “FF(X) frigate” based on a Coast Guard cutter.

The Announcement On December 19, 2025, the U.S. Navy announced its plan to introduce a new class of small surface combatant ships, the FF(X), as a critical component of the

This post has been updated with a rendering of the proposed FF(X) design. The U.S. Coast Guard Legend-class will serve as the basis of a new Navy frigate program, Secretary of the Navy John Phelan and Chief of Naval Operations Adm.

The first hull is expected to hit the water in 2028 as a more nimble companion to the Navy’s larger warships, Navy Secretary John Phelan said.

Recent operations from the Red Sea to the Caribbean make the requirement undeniable,” Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Daryl Caudle said.

The future small surface combatant ship will be built by Huntington Ingalls Industries and based on its Legends-class cutter used by the Coast Guard.

Today, HII announced that its Ingalls Shipbuilding division has been selected by the U.S. Navy to design and build the future small surface combatant (SSC) ship, leveraging the proven design of the Ingalls-built Legend-class national security cutter (NSC).