# FRIGATE Development — Program Element 0603599N

**Program element:** 0603599N  
**Component:** U.S. Navy  
**Appropriation:** 1319 — RDT&E, Navy  
**Budget Activity:** 4 — Advanced Component Development & Prototypes  
**Vintage:** President's Budget PB2027  
**Canonical URL:** https://hitchintel.com/programs/0603599N

## Summary

U.S. Navy funding ramps 161% to a $212.0M request in FY2027, sustained across the five-year plan. In the FY2027 defense authorization, the House funded it in full; the Senate funded it in full; House appropriators funded it in full. Contractors leads the industry work, though an unusually large share flows to government labs and warfare centers.

## Funding profile

| Fiscal Year | Estimate Type | Amount ($M) |
|---|---|---|
| FY2025 | Actual | 103.2 |
| FY2026 | Enacted | 81.2 |
| FY2027 | Request | 212.0 |
| FY2028 | Outyear | 247.6 |
| FY2029 | Outyear | 193.7 |
| FY2030 | Outyear | 197.3 |
| FY2031 | Outyear | 195.6 |

> Estimate types are not summed — the profile mixes actuals, enacted law, the request, and outyear projections.

## Congressional marks (FY2027)

| Stage | Marked ($M) | Change ($M) |
|---|---|---|
| Request | 212.0 | — |
| House NDAA (HASC) | 212.0 | +0.0 |
| Senate NDAA (SASC) | 212.0 | +0.0 |
| House Approps (HAC-D) | 212.0 | +0.0 |

> FY2027 NDAA authorization marks, as of 2026-07-27. Not appropriations or final law.

## Projects (2)

| Project | Title | FY2025 actual | FY2026 enacted | FY2027 request | Move |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3085 | FF(X) | 0.0 | 81.2 | 212.0 | +161% |
| 3086 | Frigate | 103.2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — |

> Projects are the summable leaves: the program element total is their sum, never added to it.

### Project 3085 — FF(X)

The FF(X) Frigate is a strategic necessity to close a significant shortfall in the Navy's small surface combatant inventory and to build a more balanced, flexible fleet. Frigate directly supports the 2025 National Security Strategy which calls for, "A more suitable Navy presence to control sea lanes, to thwart illegal and other unwanted migration, to reduce human and drug trafficking, and to control key transit routes in a crisis". FF(X) will be a vanguard of the Navy's Hedge Strategy, within the General-Purpose Force handling routine missions across the globe and freeing the Main Battle Force to remain focused on high-end combat. FF(X) will act as the command ship for Tailored Offsets, specifically Robotic and Autonomous Systems (RAS), and integrating with RAS to lead Tailored Forces into a cohesive warfighting approach. As the low-end anchor of the Golden Fleet high-low mix, the Frigate will relieve high end assets such as Arleigh Burke-Class destroyers from missions that do not require large multi mission combatants, including maritime interdiction and counter drug operations. Its primary role is to execute surface warfare, Counter-Unmanned Aerial Systems (C-UAS), and Command and Control (C2) of Unmanned Systems missions as well as others as enabled through containerized payloads, all through a highly producible, cost effective and adaptable platform. These containerized payload capabilities are aligned with and supported by the Navy's dedicated containerized payloads program, enabling rapid integration and fielding of mission modules, including containerized Vertical Launch System (VLS) payloads. This ensures that while Flight I of the FF(X) Class (currently planned as at least the first 2 ships) does not incorporate a traditional fixed VLS battery, it retains the capability to deploy VLS-equivalent payloads through modular, mission-tailored configurations. To deliver at speed and scale, the Navy is acquiring its new class of Frigates based on Huntington Ingalls Industry's (HII) Legend-class National Security Cutter (NSC) design - a proven American built ship that has been operational for 17 years with ten delivered cutters, protecting U.S. interests at home and abroad.

**Named R-3 performers** (share of this project's FY2027 R-3 total, so they need not reach 100%)**:** Contractors (10.6, 5.0%), NIWC (6.8, 3.2%), Govenment Activites (6.2, 2.9%), OPTEVFOR (4.0, 1.9%).

| Activity (R-2A) | FY2025 | FY2026 | FY2027 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ship Systems /C4I / Warfare Systems Engineering | 0.0 | 68.9 | 176.0 |
| Test & Evaluation | 0.0 | 12.3 | 36.0 |

> R-2A activities carry the prior, current and budget year only — no five-year plan. Coverage is partial, so count them, never total them.

### Project 3086 — Frigate

The Navy reached a comprehensive settlement to terminate the last four ships of the Constellation Class Frigate Program (FFG 63-67) with the prime contractor. While work continues on the first two ships, USS Constellation (FFG 62) and USS Congress (FFG 63), those ships remain under Navy review. No funds are requested for the continuation of the Constellation FFGs under Project Unit (PU) 3086.

| Activity (R-2A) | FY2025 | FY2026 | FY2027 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ship Systems / C4I / Warfare Systems Engineering | 69.5 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Test & Evaluation | 33.7 | 0.0 | 0.0 |

> R-2A activities carry the prior, current and budget year only — no five-year plan. Coverage is partial, so count them, never total them.

## Where the FY2027 request goes

| Category | Share | $M |
|---|---|---|
| Industry primes | 14% | 29.0 |
| Government labs & warfare centers | 43% | 90.3 |
| Other / unspecified | 44% | 92.8 |

**Top named industry performers:** Contractors ($10.6M, 5.0%), NIWC ($6.8M, 3.2%), Govenment Activites ($6.2M, 2.9%).

> R-3 exhibit contract funding, not USAspending obligations.

## Mission & acquisition strategy

The FF(X) Frigate is a strategic necessity to close a significant shortfall in the Navy's small surface combatant inventory and to build a more balanced, flexible fleet. Frigate directly supports the 2025 National Security Strategy which calls for, "A more suitable Navy presence to control sea lanes, to thwart illegal and other unwanted migration, to reduce human and drug trafficking, and to control key transit routes in a crisis". FF(X) will be a vanguard of the Navy's Hedge Strategy, within the General-Purpose Force handling routine missions across the globe and freeing the Main Battle Force to remain focused on high-end combat.

The FF(X) Class acquisition strategy was approved by ASN RD&A on 8 Dec 2025.

## Related program elements

- [0603851M — Joint Non-Lethal Weapons Testing](https://hitchintel.com/programs/0603851M) (Navy)
- [0401130F — C-17A Aircraft](https://hitchintel.com/programs/0401130F) (Air Force)
- [0606775D8Z — Joint Production Accelerator Cell (JPAC)](https://hitchintel.com/programs/0606775D8Z) (Defense-Wide)
- [0603677F — Advanced Component Development and Prototypes (ACD&P)](https://hitchintel.com/programs/0603677F) (Air Force)

## Source & machine access

- **Source:** FY2027 Department of the Navy RDT&E Budget Justification, Exhibits R-2/R-3, PE 0603599N (PB PB2027); FY2027 NDAA committee marks (as of 2026-07-27).
- **MCP:** `mcp.hitchintel.com` — `budget_get_program_element(pe="0603599N")`.

*HitchAI is an independent intelligence service, not affiliated with the U.S. Department of Defense. Budget figures are requests/estimates, not obligations.*