Manufacturing line/War ships/Frigate
Autonomous · War ships

Frigate

A smaller, long-legged escort that hunts submarines by itself.

Phase 7 · 2033+Concept design
Displacement
7,291 t
Power
42 MWe integrated electric
Fuel burn
≈ 2.0 t / hr at 16 kn
Crew aboard
0
I · Blueprint
Side elevation, live systems
DWL151 m (496 ft) length overallAA0409071001141213182015110617081916020305flight deckMachinery, tank and magazine positions are to design scale. Weapons are shown in outline.SECTION A–A · AT DIESEL GENERATOR SET 1, LOOKING FORWARDPLAN · MAIN DECK · DASHED: HULL AT WATERLINEDWL65 ft (19.8 m) beam0709061916piston & connecting rodcrankshaft, rotatingresilient mountsgenerator (beyond)double-bottom tanks151 m19.8 m32 cells121301040716
01Towed sonar arrayMission systems
02Propeller & rudderPropulsion
03Shaft linePropulsion
04Hangar & flight deck — rotorcraftStructure
05Electric propulsion motorPropulsion
06Diesel generator setsPower
07Deckhouse & integrated sensor arrayStructure
08Battery bank — 6 MWh, pulse loadsPower
09Hull — flared, low-signatureStructure
10Sensor mastStructure
11Gas turbine — 30 MW, sprintPower
12Vertical launch cells — forwardMission systems
13Main gunMission systems
14Bow sonar domeMission systems
15Turbine alternator — 30 MWPower
16Stack, intakes & uptakesPower
17Switchboards & common busPower
18Autonomy coreMission systems
19Fuel tanks, double bottomPower
20Radar array facesMission systems
II · Power & drivetrain

Quiet enough to listen.

Diesel generators on isolated mounts drive an electric motor, so the frigate can creep silently while its towed array listens.

Diesel generators and sprint turbine — rotating view
Two of the four 3 MW diesel generators are drawn with their pistons, connecting rods and crank webs moving and turbochargers spinning above; they sit on resilient mounts (small blocks) so their vibration never reaches the hull. The 30 MW gas-turbine generator above joins for sprints; all feed two 16 MW motors.
01Diesel generators — 4 × 3 MW, 6-cylinder, 900 rpm, on resilient mounts
02Pistons, connecting rods and crankshaft — drawn live
03Turbochargers — one per engine, 60,000 rpm
04Gas-turbine generator — 30 MW for 26+ kn, off in quiet mode
05Main switchboard — 6.6 kV integrated electric
06Propulsion motors — 2 × 16 MW, permanent-magnet, quiet
07Quiet mode — diesels only, ≈ 18 kn, towed array listening
08Fuel — synthetic marine diesel, ≈ 800 t
Propeller — 5 blades
Power plant4 × 3 MW diesel generators + 30 MW gas-turbine generator
Shaft output2 × 16 MW motors, 32 MW
FuelSynthetic marine diesel
Consumption≈ 2.0 t / hr at 16 kn
Metal content≈ 88% of lightship
Naked drivetrain — energy to motion
III · How it is put together

Built in blocks, joined, then brought to life.

Blocks are fabricated in parallel, joined in sequence, and the power module and autonomy core go in last. The loop below replays the build order.

POWER MODULE
I
Keel & hardened hull blocks
II
Blocks joined, systems routed
III
Power plant installed
IV
Sensor tower & mission systems fitted
V
Unmanned sea trials
IV · Specification

Design specification.

Design values for the autonomous frigate. Every figure matches the drawings, the power unit and the compute panel on this page.

Length overall
151 m
Displacement
7,291 t
Vertical launch cells
32
Sonar
Bow dome & towed array
Power plant
4 × 3 MW diesel generators + 30 MW gas-turbine generator
Battery
6 MWh, 12 MW
Consumption
≈ 2.0 t / hr at 16 kn
Speed
26+ kn
Range
6,000 nm
Shaft output
2 × 16 MW motors, 32 MW
Quiet mode
12 MWe on diesels, ≈ 18 kn
Fuel aboard
≈ 800 t synthetic marine diesel
Propulsion
Integrated electric, 2 shafts
Metal content
≈ 88% of lightship
Crew aboard
0 — remote command
Onboard compute
Six AI modules; the quietest one listens
Modules6 heavy AI modules in 2 mirrored racks (navigation 2; perception 2; acoustics & engineering 2) + 4 certified safety controllers; combat systems are separate
CPU96 cores (6 × 16) + 4 lockstep real-time cores per module
AI throughput30,000 TOPS (6 × 5,000, INT8 / FP4 sparse)
Memory6 × 128 GB LPDDR6, 600 GB/s per module
Power draw0.65 kW compute; ≈ 1.8 kW with 32 cameras, 4 lidars, 3 navigation radars and the sonar front ends — 0.004% of the 42 MWe plant
Process node2 nm-class SoCs; safety controllers on a mature 16 nm node, 15-year supply; compute is a line-replaceable unit, swapped at mid-life
RedundancyTwo racks in separate compartments. Every sensor is wired to both racks. Each module is primary for its zone and hot standby for its twin in the other rack; either rack alone runs the ship. A software fault can never drive the frigate outside its certified safe envelope.
Safety channel4 × SIL 3 controllers with their own sensors: diesel and turbine overspeed trips, oil-pressure switches, shaft encoders, rudder-angle sensors, fire and flood detectors, and a safety-rated collision radar
Sensors32 cameras (22 visible 4K, 10 thermal) on automotive Ethernet through camera aggregation switches; 4 lidars for close manoeuvring, 3 navigation radars, AIS, bow and towed sonar arrays, 2,500 plant sensors
DrivesMotor drives close their own current loop at 1 kHz; the modules send speed and rudder set-points at 10 Hz
LinkProtected satellite and line-of-sight links; planning model aboard; remote command ashore
The acoustics modules classify what the towed array hears and steer the ship to keep listening while staying quiet, choosing diesels over the turbine unless a sprint is ordered. Navigation and perception mirror across two racks; weapons and combat sensors stay on their own systems under remote command.
Today vs IC
Today’s frigate beside the IC design
Today · frigate in buildIC design
Prime movers1 gas turbine through a combining gear, plus 2 × 3.4 MW electric motors fed by diesel generators for quiet running4 × 3 MW diesel generators + 30 MW gas-turbine generator on one 6.6 kV bus; 6 MWh battery
DriveCombined: gear at speed, electric motors when quietIntegrated electric: 2 × 16 MW motors on 2 shafts at every speed
Size and speed7,291 t, 151 m; 26+ knSame hull: 7,291 t, 151 m; 26+ kn
Range6,000 nm at 16 kn on electric drive6,000 nm at 16 kn on ≈ 800 t of fuel
Quiet runningElectric motors, 2 × 3.4 MW12 MWe on diesels, ≈ 18 kn with the towed array listening
Crew2000; remote command ashore
The IC column is the design shown on this page. Sources for the Today column are listed in BUILD_NOTES.md.
Runs on The Brain
The Brain assigns this frigate its search box in the task group’s plan, mirrors it in the fleet’s digital twin, and re-plans the search the moment a contact appears.
See how it works →
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