The Chief of Naval Operations has announced that he is open to various ways of growing the Fleet to the desired 355 ships, including the return to service of up to eight Oliver Hazard Perry-class guided missile frigates. However, in the last ten or so years of their service, the Perry-class frigates operated without a missile system despite retaining the fast frigate, guided missile (FFG) designation. If the Navy returns the frigates to service it should arm them with sufficient combat power to make it worthwhile from both cost and operational employment perspectives.
In 2003, Navy leadership accepted risk with the Perry class and removed the Mark 13 guided-missile launching system (GMLS) in a cost-cutting move. With the removal of the GMLS went the frigates’ ability to employ SM-1 surface-to-air and Harpoon antiship missiles. This left the ships with only point defense systems—guns and soft-kill devices. Employing its SPS-49 long-range air search radar, LAMPS SH-60B helicopter, and SQR-19 passive towed array (TACTASS), it became a patrol frigate (PF). Design work began in the early 1970’s, with the class conceived as a low-cost ocean escort for convoys, logistic ships, and amphibious formations. The Perry class received the designation PF. In 1975, their designation was changed to FFG.
The geopolitical landscape has changed considerably since the Navy’s 2003 decision to remove the principal offensive and defensive weapon systems of the Perrys. China’s rise as a military power and its aggressive maritime moves in the South China Sea; a resurgent Russia acting in opposition to Western interests; North Korea’s saber rattling—nuclear and otherwise; and Iran’s ongoing attempts at regional hegemony and increasingly provocative actions in the Arabian Gulf have combined to render unwise the idea of deploying a lightly armed warship exclusively for “presence” and theater engagement missions. That was the role the “defanged” Perrys were fulfilling before their retirement.
If the Perry class are returned to operational service, they should be in a condition that permits them to contribute to the emerging Fleet design concept of distributed maritime operations and distributed lethality. With the installation of an 8-to-16 cell MK41 vertical launching system (VLS) in place of the former MK13 GMLS and below-deck magazine, the Perry-class frigate could be armed with quad packs of Evolved Sea Sparrow (ESSM) missiles for air defense (and limited surface employment); an over the horizon antiship missile such as naval strike missile or LRASM, for example, and vertical launch ASROC for antisubmarine warfare. Any concerns regarding hull depth to accommodate the MK41 VLS can be addressed by employing a deck house-like arrangement as the Royal Australian Navy did when they added an eight-cell VLS to their Perry-class frigates. When combined with existing sensors, datalink, and hard/soft kill self-defense systems installed in the class, the Perry-class frigate brings credible combat capability at an affordable price both in system installation and operating cost to the Navy’s mission of sea control.
Wisely, the Navy mandated all support equipment associated with MK13 GMLS and STIR fire control illuminator be retained on board when those systems were removed. This was more for foreign military sales potential than with an eye towards possible return to service. Nonetheless, reinstalling the STIR or a comparable illuminator onto its pedestal and refurbishing the existing support equipment would bring the fire control system back online.
In addition to VLS, upgrading from LINK 11 to LINK 16 datalink is necessary. Additional upgrades might include replacing the SQR-19 TACTASS with the multifunction towed array, though the cost might be at odds with fleet expansion at an affordable price tag. Strengthening the hangar and flight deck to accommodate the MH-60R multirole helicopter is another possible improvement. If upgrading the aviation facilities is a bridge too far, then the frigates can advance the Navy’s drive in unmanned aviation operations by using its twin hangars and flight deck to accommodate up to four MQ-8B Fire Scout unmanned aerial systems (UAS) for surveillance and kill chain support.
Returning to service Perry-class frigates to quickly expand the Fleet makes sense only if they are equipped with combat power that allows them to contribute to distributed maritime operations and distributed lethality. Installation of an eight to sixteen cell VLS and LINK 16 would give the Oliver Hazard Perry class that credible combat power.
