Unmanned Nonsense
2nd June 2025
China is cranking out high end warships at an impressive rate … at least compared to our anemic shipbuilding effort. That means they’re cranking out serious, high level firepower in various forms. We, on the other hand, seem hell bent on ditching our high end firepower in favor of ever less lethal unmanned toys. The latest idea I came across is Naval News website speculating about cancelling the Constellation program and replacing it with small, unmanned vessels
With a price tag approaching $1.1 billion to $1.2 billion dollars each for the USS Constellation (FFG-62) frigate, Naval News asked RAND and CSIS if the Medium Unmanned Surface Vessel (MUSV) and the DARPA No Manning Required Ship (NOMARS) can replace the troubled FFG-62 frigate program.
… can MUSVs and NOMARS substitute for the FFG-62 frigates in terms of missions, roles, weapons coverage, and functionalities?[1]
As repeatedly documented on this blog, the Constellation is a poor excuse for a WARship but it is still worlds better than any unmanned asset.