A smaller, long-legged escort that hunts submarines by itself.
Phase 7 · 2033+Concept design
Displacement
7,291 t
Power
42 MWe integrated electric
Fuel burn
≈ 2.0 t / hr at 16 kn
Crew aboard
0
I · Blueprint
Side elevation, live systems
01Towed sonar arrayMission systems
02Propeller & rudderPropulsion
03Shaft linePropulsion
04Hangar & flight deck — rotorcraftStructure
05Electric propulsion motorPropulsion
06Diesel generator setsPower
07Deckhouse & integrated sensor arrayStructure
08Battery bank — 6 MWh, pulse loadsPower
09Hull — flared, low-signatureStructure
10Sensor mastStructure
11Gas turbine — 30 MW, sprintPower
12Vertical launch cells — forwardMission systems
13Main gunMission systems
14Bow sonar domeMission systems
15Turbine alternator — 30 MWPower
16Stack, intakes & uptakesPower
17Switchboards & common busPower
18Autonomy coreMission systems
19Fuel tanks, double bottomPower
20Radar array facesMission systems
II · Power & drivetrain
Quiet enough to listen.
Diesel generators on isolated mounts drive an electric motor, so the frigate can creep silently while its towed array listens.
Diesel generators and sprint turbine — rotating view
Two of the four 3 MW diesel generators are drawn with their pistons, connecting rods and crank webs moving and turbochargers spinning above; they sit on resilient mounts (small blocks) so their vibration never reaches the hull. The 30 MW gas-turbine generator above joins for sprints; all feed two 16 MW motors.
Thirty-two vertical cells and a 21-round point-defense launcher hold the air layers. Sixteen deck canisters reach ships over the horizon; the 57 mm gun and a 60 kW laser take small craft and drones; two triple tubes answer a submarine. Choose a system to watch it fire, or open the magazines to see how each round reaches its launcher.
Launcher or mountCountCells or roundsRange classReload
Mk 41 vertical launch cells32, forward of the bridge1 missile per cell; 4 ESSM per cellShort to longIn port by crane, about 30 min per cell; at-sea reload demonstrated 2024–25
Mk 110 57 mm gun1120 ready rounds in the mount; magazine belowShortHoisted by hand from the magazine, while firing
Naval Strike Missile deck canisters4 launchers (16 canisters)1 missile per canister100+ nm classPier-side by crane; not reloadable at sea
Mk 49 launcher, Rolling Airframe Missile121 cellsShort (about 9–15 km)By hand, one round at a time
Mk 32 triple torpedo tubes (IC design)2 (6 tubes)1 Mk 54 torpedo per tube; spares in a magazine beside the mountShortBy hand through the muzzle, minutes per tube
60 kW laser (IC design future fit; in service on one destroyer today)1No ammunition: power and cooling from the 42 MWe plantA few km in clear airRecharges from the ship’s bus
Compatible munitions
Air defense
SM-2 Block IIIC, Standard Missile family, medium rangeIn service
Evolved Sea Sparrow Missile Block 2, four per cellIn service
Rolling Airframe Missile Block 2, Mk 49 launcherIn service
SM-6, extended range (fit under consideration)In service
SM-2 Block IIICUIn development
Strike
Tomahawk Block V, long-range land attackIn service
Mk 70 containerized 4-cell launcher (considered for the next flight)In development
Anti-ship
Naval Strike Missile, deck canistersIn service
Maritime Strike Tomahawk, Block Va (early capability 2025)In service
Anti-sub and torpedo
VL-ASROC, rocket-thrown torpedoIn service
Mk 54 lightweight torpedo (helicopter; tubes in the IC design)In service
Mk 54 Mod 2In development
Mk 58 Compact Rapid Attack Weapon, anti-torpedoIn development
Guns and counter-drone
57 mm roundsIn service
Guided 57 mm round (ALaMO)In development
Mk 38 30 mm mountIn service
Longbow Hellfire, counter-drone (flexible station, up to 48)In development
60 kW laser, HELIOS class (one destroyer today)In development
Systems are named by US Navy designation. Sequences follow public descriptions at animation pace; tracer spacing, target speeds and the missile and torpedo paths (deck launchers fire outboard; shown in the plane of the drawing) are illustrative. Sources and checks are listed in BUILD_NOTES.md.
IV · How it is put together
Blocks shipped in, joined under a roof.
Large hull blocks are built at a feeder yard, barged to a covered hall and joined from the keel block outwards; a shiplift lowers the finished hull into the water. The first ship of this size began construction in 2022 for delivery no earlier than 2029.
Large hull blocks are built at a nearby yard and shipped in by water.
Blocks are joined under one roof, from the keel block outwards.
Diesel sets go in on soft mounts; the sprint turbine goes beside them.
The deckhouse, sensor mast, hangar and sonar gear complete the ship.
A shiplift lowers the finished hull into the water for sea trials.
I
Hull blocks built at feeder yard
II
Blocks joined in covered hall
III
Quiet generators on resilient mounts
IV
Deckhouse, mast and sonar fitted
V
Lowered by shiplift, sea trials
V · Specification
Design specification.
Design values for the autonomous frigate. Every figure matches the drawings, the power unit and the compute panel on this page.
Modules6 heavy AI modules in 2 mirrored racks (navigation 2; perception 2; acoustics & engineering 2) + 4 certified safety controllers; combat systems are separate
AI throughput30,000 TOPS (6 × 5,000, INT8 / FP4 sparse)
Memory6 × 128 GB LPDDR6, 600 GB/s per module
Power draw0.65 kW compute; ≈ 1.8 kW with 32 cameras, 4 lidars, 3 navigation radars and the sonar front ends — 0.004% of the 42 MWe plant
Process node2 nm-class SoCs; safety controllers on a mature 16 nm node, 15-year supply; compute is a line-replaceable unit, swapped at mid-life
RedundancyTwo racks in separate compartments. Every sensor is wired to both racks. Each module is primary for its zone and hot standby for its twin in the other rack; either rack alone runs the ship. A software fault can never drive the frigate outside its certified safe envelope.
Safety channel4 × SIL 3 controllers with their own sensors: diesel and turbine overspeed trips, oil-pressure switches, shaft encoders, rudder-angle sensors, fire and flood detectors, and a safety-rated collision radar
Sensors32 cameras (22 visible 4K, 10 thermal) on automotive Ethernet through camera aggregation switches; 4 lidars for close manoeuvring, 3 navigation radars, AIS, bow and towed sonar arrays, 2,500 plant sensors
DrivesMotor drives close their own current loop at 1 kHz; the modules send speed and rudder set-points at 10 Hz
LinkProtected satellite and line-of-sight links; planning model aboard; remote command ashore
The acoustics modules classify what the towed array hears and steer the ship to keep listening while staying quiet, choosing diesels over the turbine unless a sprint is ordered. Navigation and perception mirror across two racks; weapons and combat sensors stay on their own systems under remote command.
Today vs IC
Today’s frigate beside the IC design
Today · frigate in buildIC design
Prime movers1 gas turbine through a combining gear, plus 2 × 3.4 MW electric motors fed by diesel generators for quiet running4 × 3 MW diesel generators + 30 MW gas-turbine generator on one 6.6 kV bus; 6 MWh battery
DriveCombined: gear at speed, electric motors when quietIntegrated electric: 2 × 16 MW motors on 2 shafts at every speed
Size and speed7,291 t, 151 m; 26+ knSame hull: 7,291 t, 151 m; 26+ kn
Range6,000 nm at 16 kn on electric drive6,000 nm at 16 kn on ≈ 800 t of fuel
Quiet runningElectric motors, 2 × 3.4 MW12 MWe on diesels, ≈ 18 kn with the towed array listening
Crew2000; remote command ashore
The IC column is the design shown on this page. Sources for the Today column are listed in BUILD_NOTES.md.
Runs on The Brain
The Brain assigns this frigate its search box in the task group’s plan, mirrors it in the fleet’s digital twin, and re-plans the search the moment a contact appears.