What is the current status of the FF(X) frigate program?
The Navy’s FF(X) frigate program is on track. HII’s Ingalls Shipbuilding was awarded a $282.9M lead yard contract on April 28, 2026. The FY2027 presidential budget request includes funding for the first hull. In HII’s Q1 2026 earnings call on May 5, company executives called FF(X) a “meaningful upside opportunity” to their medium-term outlook. Homeport has not yet been assigned. Naval Station Everett remains among the leading candidates.
What the Q1 Report Actually Shows
Huntington Ingalls Industries reported first-quarter 2026 revenue of $3.1 billion, up 13.4 percent year over year. Ingalls Shipbuilding — the Pascagoula, Mississippi division that will build the FF(X) — recorded $725 million in quarterly revenue, an increase of $88 million, or 13.8 percent, from the same period in 2025. The company attributed that increase “primarily to higher volumes in surface combatants.”
To be precise about the timeline: Q1 2026 ended on March 31, and the FF(X) lead yard contract was not awarded until April 28. That means the Q1 surface combatant revenue growth reflects Ingalls’ existing work — primarily Arleigh Burke-class destroyer production — not FF(X) activity yet. What the Q1 numbers demonstrate instead is that Ingalls is a shipyard operating at full tempo, generating strong revenue from exactly the class of ships the FF(X) is designed to complement. That matters because the FF(X) program requires a yard that can ramp quickly, and Ingalls is doing that now.
What the Earnings Call Said About FF(X)
HII’s management team made two substantive references to the frigate program during the May 5 call. The first concerned the FY2027 budget request. The Trump administration submitted a top-level fiscal year 2027 budget to Congress in early April. HII confirmed that the proposal includes funding for the first FF(X) frigate — a discrete line item in the Navy’s $65.8 billion shipbuilding request. Also in that budget: one Columbia-class submarine, two Virginia-class submarines, one Arleigh Burke destroyer, one LPD-17 amphibious transport dock, and one LHA-6 amphibious assault ship. The FF(X) is on that list as a fully budgeted program, not a placeholder.
The second was language about HII’s medium-term financial outlook. Executives described the new battleship and frigate programs as “meaningful upside opportunities” to their forward projections. In investor communications, that phrasing is deliberate. It signals that FF(X) is expected to grow Ingalls’ revenue materially — and that the company building the ships is committed to the program in a way that matters to shareholders.
HII also reported total backlog of $54.0 billion, “supported by major aircraft carrier, submarine, and surface combatant programs.” The $282.9 million FF(X) lead yard contract awarded on April 28, 2026 is now part of that backlog.
The Procurement Plan in Full
The FF(X) program structure was confirmed when the Navy awarded the Ingalls contract last month. The initial $282.9 million contract funds pre-construction activities — long-lead material procurement, design refinement, and detailed engineering. The first $80.6 million tranche allows work to begin immediately. Ingalls is the designated lead yard for the first two ships under a sole-source arrangement.
The FY2027 budget request funds the first FF(X) hull at $1.429 billion against a full ship cost of $1.671 billion. A Critical Design Review is scheduled for 2026, after which the design is frozen and steel cutting begins. The Navy targets launch of the first ship by late 2028 and delivery by mid-2030. From the third ship onward, the program transitions to competitive procurement. The total objective is 22 ships. One hull is planned in FY2027, one in FY2029, two in FY2031, with rates increasing in subsequent flights. The economic impact of a 22-ship program for Snohomish County has been estimated at roughly $340 million annually if Everett wins the homeport.
What Is Still Open for Everett
The one question HII’s earnings call did not answer — because it is not HII’s decision — is homeport. Naval Station Everett has made the economic and strategic case for hosting the FF(X) fleet. Snohomish County’s Military Affairs Committee has maintained contact with the Washington congressional delegation, including Representative Rick Larsen on the House Armed Services Committee. The argument centers on Everett’s existing surface combatant infrastructure, the city’s Navy-rooted identity, and the multiplier effect of basing a twelve-ship fleet at an already-operational installation.
The homeport decision follows a formal process: the Navy evaluates installations against requirements including pier capacity, maintenance support, housing inventory, and operational access, then submits a preferred homeport to Congress for review. That process typically runs after the lead ship’s design is finalized — meaning the homeport decision is not imminent, but the clock is running. Meanwhile, NAVSTA Everett’s destroyers, including USS Gridley, continue active fleet operations that demonstrate the base’s operational readiness.
What Comes Next
Three near-term milestones are worth tracking for Everett residents and military families:
Congressional appropriations action. The FY2027 presidential budget request includes funding for the first FF(X) hull. That request must pass through the House and Senate Armed Services Committees and the Appropriations Committees before it becomes law. Representative Larsen’s seat on the House Armed Services Committee keeps Snohomish County directly represented in that process.
The Critical Design Review. Scheduled for 2026, the CDR is when Ingalls and the Navy formally lock the final design. Confirmation that the CDR has occurred will be the next major program milestone after the initial contract award.
Homeport announcement timing. Industry analysts tracking the program expect a homeport decision no earlier than 2027, after the FY2027 appropriation is finalized and the design is mature enough for the Navy to make precise infrastructure requirements. Everett’s case improves with each funding confirmation.
For now, the FF(X) program has cleared the two gating tests that most new defense programs fail early: it has received its first contract award, and the company building it has publicly confirmed to investors that it represents meaningful future revenue. The engineering and the money are aligned. Everett’s task is to make sure the homeport decision follows.
Frequently Asked Questions
When will the first FF(X) frigate be delivered to the Navy?
The current schedule targets launch of the first ship by late 2028 and delivery to the fleet by mid-2030, based on the lead yard contract terms and HII’s May 5 earnings disclosures.
Why is Ingalls Shipbuilding building the FF(X)?
HII’s Ingalls Shipbuilding in Pascagoula, Mississippi is the designated lead yard for the first two FF(X) hulls under a sole-source arrangement. The program transitions to competitive procurement starting at the third ship.
How much will the first FF(X) frigate cost?
The FY2027 presidential budget request funds the first hull at $1.429 billion. The Navy’s full ship cost estimate is $1.671 billion.
Is the FF(X) the same as the Constellation-class frigate?
No. The Constellation-class program was cancelled by the Navy on November 25, 2025 due to cost overruns and delays at Fincantieri Marinette Marine. The FF(X) is a new, accelerated program based on the National Security Cutter (Legend-class) design and is being built at Ingalls in Pascagoula.
How many FF(X) frigates will be built?
The Navy’s current plan calls for 22 FF(X) frigates across multiple production flights. One ship is planned in FY2027, one in FY2029, and two in FY2031, with production rates increasing in subsequent years.
What is HII’s total backlog as of Q1 2026?
HII reported a total backlog of $54.0 billion as of Q1 2026, supported by aircraft carrier, submarine, and surface combatant programs. This now includes the $282.9 million FF(X) lead yard contract awarded on April 28, 2026.
When will the FF(X) homeport be decided?
The Navy has not announced a homeport for FF(X) ships. Industry analysts expect the decision no earlier than 2027, after FY2027 appropriations are finalized and the Critical Design Review is complete. Naval Station Everett is among the leading candidates.
Why does Everett want the FF(X) homeport?
NAVSTA Everett already operates five Arleigh Burke-class destroyers and has the pier, maintenance, and support infrastructure to host surface combatants. Snohomish County’s Military Affairs Committee has estimated a twelve-ship FF(X) homeport would generate roughly $340 million in annual economic activity for the region.
Leave a Reply