On January 29, Nikos Dendias, the Greek Minister of Defence, met with his Cypriot counterpart, Vasilios Palmas, in Athens to discuss further developments in defence and military cooperation between Greece and Cyprus, events in Ukraine and the Middle East, and the possibility of expanding trilateral cooperation with other countries.
Following the discussion, Dendias disclosed that Greece is looking into cooperative design and manufacturing of up to seven American frigates of the “Constellation” class in Greek shipyards.
The minister explained that on February 16, the Greek Navy’s headquarters got a special letter from the relevant American service, which welcomed Greece’s interest. He also stated that signing an agreement that considers the demands of the Greek Navy would allow the country to participate in the design of the frigates from the start.
Dendias said Greece regards the LCS frigates (littoral combat ship – American coastal combat ship), which will be provided to Greece as part of the gratuitous transfer of several military assets from the United States, as a temporary solution.
The Greek Minister of Defence also spoke with his Cypriot counterpart about expanding the “Evangelos Florakis” naval facility in Mari, Southern Cyprus, to accommodate modern frigates such as the “Belharra.”
Dendias stated that the US agency responsible for delivering F-35 jets to Greece has already delivered a Letter of Offer and Acceptance (LOA) to Athens. He thinks it is too early to discuss the pricing because the procedure is complicated. He pledged that they would be made public after the Greek side had completed its computations.
Dendias determined these efforts would benefit Greece, regional stability, and European security.
US Navy Constellation Class Frigate
The fleet of FREMM-type frigates (Fregata multi-missione, multi-mission frigate)that Fincantieri built for the Italian Navy serves as the inspiration for the US Navy FFG(X) project. The vessel will achieve a total displacement of 6,112 tonnes, with a length of 151 metres, a width of 19.7 metres, a draft of 5.5 metres, and a displacement of 7,408 tonnes when fully loaded. The ship is planned to be equipped with a gas turbine, two electric motors, and four diesel generators, which will make up the combined CODLAG (combined diesel-electric and gas) propulsion system installed on the frigate. It will have a range of 6,000 miles and a maximum speed of 26 knots for its journey. Twenty hundred seamen will make up the crew.
A three-dimensional radar, the AN/SPY-6, which features an active phased array antenna and digital scanning, will be installed on the vessels. Surface-to-air missiles designed by SM-2 and RIM-162 ESSM and anti-submarine missiles developed by ASROC will be launched from the Mk.41 vertical launch system, which has 32 cells. In addition to 12.7mm machine guns, the Mk.110 57mm gun system, RIM-116 anti-aircraft missiles, sophisticated NSM anti-ship missiles, and other weapons are included in the frigate’s arsenal.
An MQ-8C “Fire Scout” drone and a multi-purpose MH-60R “Seahawk” helicopter can be stored inside the hangar because of its accommodating design.
Fincantieri Marinette Marine started building the first “Constellation” frigate in the summer of 2022. It is scheduled to be delivered to the US Navy by the end of 2026. Four ships of the class have been ordered. The arrangement also includes an option for six additional frigates.
The US Navy’s first frigate, built under the FFG(X) project, will be called USS Constellation (FFG 62). The United States Navy intends to acquire at least 20 Constellation-class frigates.
