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Cost, missiles and delivery compared
The fastest route to a new frigate is increasingly to stop designing one. Sweden, Australia and Portugal have all moved toward ships already in production or based on mature serial designs, with first deliveries targeted roughly three to four years after contract. For navies shopping now, the real comparison is no longer brochure capability. It is price, missile cells, crew, radar and whether the shipyard can actually hand over a combat-ready hull before 2030.
The market in one table
| Design | Recent cost signal | VLS | Main radar | Core crew | Recent delivery evidence | Export position |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FDI / Belharra | €4.3B / 4 Swedish ships | 32 Sylver | Thales Sea Fire fixed-face AESA | 125 | Sweden: contract Aug. 2026 → first 2030 | France, Greece, Sweden; active serial line |
| Upgraded Mogami | First-3 contract undisclosed; A$10B acquisition allocation published previously | 32 Mk 41 | Japanese OPY-2-derived AESA / integrated mast | 92 RAN | Australia: contract Apr. 2026 → Dec. 2029 | Japan + Australia; Japanese serial build |
| FREMM EVO | €750M avg. Italian build contract; ~€1B avg. Portuguese package | Up to 32 Sylver | Leonardo Kronos C/X dual-band AESA | ~145 baseline | Portugal: agreement Jul. 2026 → 2029–30 | Large established FREMM family; Portugal latest export |
| MEKO A-200 | Historic Egypt package ~€575M/ship; German 2026 package far higher | Typically 32 in latest Egyptian fit | Customer configurable; NS110 on Egypt | 121–125 | Germany: 2026 start → Dec. 2029; Egypt first ship in 38 months | South Africa, Algeria, Egypt; Germany now ordering |
| İstif / I-Class | ~US$1B / 2 Indonesian ships | 16 MIDLAS | ASELSAN CENK-S AESA | 123 | Current export line targets 2027–28 | Turkey + Indonesia; multiple Turkish yards active |
| Arrowhead 140 | Polish program ~PLN14.8–15B / 3 ships | 32 Mk 41 on Miecznik | Configuration dependent | 120 on Polish version | Poland: 2021 program → first service 2029 | UK, Poland, Indonesia; export-ready design license model |
| SIGMA 10514 | US$435M first Colombian PES contract signal | 12 on proven Indonesian fit; customer configurable | Sea Giraffe 4A on Colombian PES | ~100–120 | Colombia: 2024 contract → first ship 2030 | Indonesia, Mexico, Colombia; proven local-build model |
Costs are not clean unit prices. They come from recent public contracts and program values containing different combinations of ships, weapons, training, local construction, spares, infrastructure, technology transfer and support. They should be used as procurement-scale indicators only.
Buyability, not theoretical combat power
This order weights production maturity, current export evidence, delivery credibility and combat capability. It is not a claim that No. 1 would defeat No. 7 in combat.
Naval Group FDI
Hot production lineThe easiest high-end purchase to defend today. France and Greece have already absorbed the first-of-class risk, Lorient is in serial production, Naval Group says the line can produce up to two FDIs annually, and Sweden moved from selection to a signed four-ship order in months. The Greek configuration already demonstrates 32 Aster cells, Sea Fire, Exocet, RAM and full ASW capability.
MHI Upgraded Mogami
Fast deliveryThe manpower outlier. Australia chose the upgraded Mogami largely as an existing mature design that could reach the fleet quickly. It combines a 32-cell Mk 41 battery, long range and a crew roughly one-third smaller than several European peers. The first three Australian ships are being built in Japan before construction moves to Western Australia.
Fincantieri FREMM EVO
Heavy frigateThe largest and most expensive option here, but also one of the most complete. FREMM EVO retains the mature FREMM hull and ASW architecture while adding fixed-face C/X-band AESA radar, newer combat systems, stronger air-defense potential and unmanned-system integration. Portugal's 2026 three-ship deal confirms that an export customer can still enter the line and receive ships before 2031.
TKMS MEKO A-200
Proven exportThe most configurable design in the group. South Africa, Algeria and Egypt operate distinct combat-system fits on nearly the same platform. Egypt's first A-200 was accepted only 38 months after the contract became effective. Germany turned to the same mature family in 2026 after cancelling F126 and is targeting its first A-200 DEU in December 2029.
Turkish İstif / I-Class
Price + speedThe compact value play. It gives up VLS depth compared with the 32-cell ships but combines 16 MIDLAS cells, 16 ATMACA anti-ship missiles, AESA radar, sonar, CIWS and CODAG propulsion in roughly 3,000 tonnes. Türkiye is also building multiple ships simultaneously across several yards, and Indonesia's two-ship deal provides a current export-price anchor around $1 billion.
Babcock Arrowhead 140
Best local-build modelArrowhead's advantage is industrial sovereignty. Britain is building Type 31 at Rosyth while Poland and Indonesia are building national derivatives in their own yards. Poland's heavily armed Miecznik configuration uses 32 Mk 41 cells, CAMM, RBS15, a 76 mm Strales gun and full ASW sensors. The price is schedule: building a national shipbuilding capability generally takes longer than buying directly from a hot foreign production line.
*32 cells refers to the current Polish Miecznik configuration, not every Arrowhead 140 variant.
Damen SIGMA 10514 / PES
Light-frigate optionThe smallest option in this group and the clearest bridge between a corvette and full frigate. Damen has already transferred SIGMA construction to Indonesia and Mexico and is doing it again with Colombia. The new Colombian PES uses a fixed-face Sea Giraffe 4A radar and Saab 9LV combat system. It cannot match FDI or FREMM for missile depth, but it offers a much lower entry point for navies that need four or six ships rather than two highly expensive ones.
*12 cells is the proven Indonesian SIGMA 10514 fit. The Colombian PES weapon configuration is customer-specific and remains different.
Different requirement, different frigate
Navies are buying production slots, not just designs
First-of-class risk has become too expensive
A clean-sheet frigate can spend years in requirements work before the first plate is cut. Buying into an existing class transfers much of that engineering risk to the original customer.
A hot line can matter more than a perfect specification
Sweden accepted a mature FDI baseline because Naval Group could place it directly into serial production. Australia made essentially the same schedule calculation with Mogami.
National customization is now the schedule trap
Replacing the radar, combat system, missiles, guns, propulsion or electrical architecture can turn a mature foreign frigate back into a development program.
Local construction changes the calculation
Arrowhead and SIGMA show that a country can buy a mature design while building sovereign shipyard capability. The trade is a longer first delivery and more integration risk.
A “$500 million frigate” and a “$1.2 billion frigate” may not be comparable
Read the contract, not the headline
A warship contract may include the bare platform, combat system, government-furnished missiles, ammunition, helicopters, spares, simulators, crew training, infrastructure, intellectual property, technology transfer and decades of support.
Sweden's FDI contract includes training systems, spares and associated equipment. Portugal's FREMM arrangement includes sustainment and technology transfer. Poland's Miecznik program includes building national industrial capacity. Indonesia's Turkish deal uses a different financing structure again.
| Design | Public figure | Simple average | What the number actually represents |
|---|---|---|---|
| FDI Sweden | €4.3B / four | ~€1.08B | Ships plus training systems, spares, associated equipment and Swedish-system integration. |
| FREMM EVO Italy | €1.5B / two | ~€750M | Domestic construction contract for two Italian Navy ships. |
| FREMM EVO Portugal | ~€3B / three | ~€1.0B | Export package including sustainment, technology transfer and operational support. |
| MEKO A-200 Egypt | ~€2.3B / four | ~€575M | Older export package; useful historical anchor but not a 2026 German configuration price. |
| MEKO A-200 DEU | ~€6.3B / first four | ~€1.58B | 2026 German program with national configuration, training and support. |
| İstif Indonesia | ~US$1B / two | ~US$500M | Current export/financing package associated with two Turkish-built frigates. |
| Miecznik / AH140 | ~PLN14.8–15B / three | ~PLN4.9–5B | Local Polish build, technology transfer, combat systems and industrial development. |
| SIGMA PES | ~US$435M | One ship program signal | Damen engineering, technical support, material/equipment package for Colombian local construction. |
Four years is becoming the benchmark
| Program | Recent commitment | First delivery / service | Approx. interval | Build model |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| İstif Indonesia | 2025–26 export agreement | Reported 2027–28 window | ~2–3 yrs | Existing Turkish multi-yard production stream |
| MEKO A-200 Egypt | Contract effective 2019 | First accepted 2022 | 38 months | Direct German build |
| MEKO A-200 DEU | Production launched 2026 | Dec. 2029 | ~3.5 yrs | German hot-line acceleration |
| Upgraded Mogami Australia | Apr. 2026 contract | Dec. 2029 | ~3.7 yrs | First three built in Japan |
| FREMM EVO Portugal | Jul. 2026 agreement | 2029–30 | ~3–4 yrs | Existing Italian production architecture |
| FDI Sweden | Aug. 2026 contract | 2030 | ~4 yrs | Existing French serial line |
| SIGMA Colombia | Aug. 2024 contract | 2030 target | ~6 yrs | First domestic Colombian frigate build |
| Arrowhead Poland | 2021 program | 2029 first service target | ~8 yrs | New domestic industrial capability |
32 cells does not mean 32 identical missiles
VLS count is useful, but it can become misleading when comparing Mk 41, Sylver and MIDLAS.
Cell depth matters
Strike-length cells can accept weapons that physically cannot fit into shorter launchers.
Quad-packing changes missile count
One Mk 41 or MIDLAS cell may carry multiple smaller air-defense missiles, so physical cells and interceptor inventory are not the same number.
Radar defines how useful the magazine is
A large missile battery is only as useful as the ship's ability to detect, classify, track and support engagements against multiple targets.
Reloading still matters
A ship with 32 cells may have greater first-contact endurance than a 16-cell frigate, but both eventually depend on ports, tenders or future at-sea rearming concepts.
Which frigate fits the requirement?
Weight the variables that matter most. The model deliberately excludes cost because public contract packages are not comparable enough to produce an honest normalized price score.
The best frigate may be the one already moving down the line
FDI, Mogami, FREMM EVO and MEKO A-200 all demonstrate the same procurement shortcut: accept a mature hull, limit national modifications and buy into an industrial line that already has workers, suppliers and production tooling in place.
Arrowhead and SIGMA offer a different trade. They let the customer use a proven foreign design to create domestic shipbuilding capability, but the first ship carries more industrial-learning risk.
The decision is therefore no longer simply which frigate has the best radar or the most missiles. It is whether the navy needs the ship in four years, or whether it can afford to spend eight years building the industrial base that will construct the next ten.
Research base
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