Fincantieri
The US Navy announced in February that five types of warships would compete for a bid to supply the branch with 20 next-generation guided-missile frigates.
And last week, we got to tour one of those five frigates: Fincantieri's FREMM Alpino, a ship outfitted with anti-submarine systems.
"The world has changed certainly in the last two years when you take look at what Russia is doing and what China is doing," retired Admiral Rick Hunt, who now works for Fincantieri, told Business Insider on the ship's bridge. "And frankly, I think that means we got to up the game of the high-low mix that we have traditionally held," Hunt said.
"We got our Aegis fleet of destroyers and cruisers," Hunt said, but "we need to have kind of a smaller utility ship that covers down on the rest, that gives you forward presence, independent ops, escort capability ... and value added to the larger carrier strike groups."
And that is exactly what the heavily-armed Alpino can provide, Hunt said, adding that it's a frigate with "destroyer-like capabilities."
Check it out below: