BATH, Maine (AP) _ The U.S. Navy fulfilled its need for speed with littoral combat ships. Now it's shifting to small-but-powerful frigates that pack a bigger punch.
A Navy request calls for a traditional, multi-mission warship equipped to shoot down airplanes, attack enemy ships and counter submarines.
The directive calls for shipbuilders to use an existing hull design to expedite the process. The timetable calls for procuring the first two ships in 2020 and 2021.
The proposal calls for no new technologies. That's a far cry from littoral combat ships and stealthy Zumwalt-class destroyers that incorporated new technologies and experienced cost overruns.