With there now being alot of talk for a new Frigate the SSC for the US Navy I was wondering what people here though the best option would be.

Define the mission, then define the systems, then define the hull.

Define the mission, then define the systems, then define the hull.

So pretty much the exact opposite way that we got the LCS. Lockheed Martin has shown some LCS-1 derivatives that might have some legs. Really, we needed a new minesweeper and a small surface combatant.

and you need a purpose build frigate not an modified LCS.... for if US get frigate, they can free up destroyers so they can do the task they was supposed to do.

I believe the KDX-2A is exactly what the navy needs. It is a mature design built to or easily modified to US Navy damage control standards, uses Aegis, American weapons, and even American propulsion systems. Also displacement is roughly 4500 tons, much smaller than the Nansen or Bazan class making them more affordable. Even if you were to build the LCS-1 variant, you would still have a ship built to lesser damage control standards and thus vulnerable. The patrol frigate by HII is a nice idea but it to is not built to navy survivability standards. By the time you modified either of those designs enough to operate in a high threat environment, the costs would soar to unaffordable proportions. So work with our allies, South Korea to build a licensed version of the KDX-2A here in the US.

Ok, Minewarfare is a good mission. How are we going to do minesweeping?

Also, what is the mission of a "small surface combatant" (I'm not knocking the idea, but it helps if everyone is on the same page as we discuss this).