South Korea, Japan and Turkey vie for US shipbuilding access in future frigate contest

South Korea, Japan and Türkiye are competing for potential access to a future US frigate programme through their Chungnam, New FFM and Istanbul-class designs. The Navy is studying whether one or two initial ships could be built abroad and later units produced domestically, a model intended to obtain capability faster while rebuilding US shipyard capacity. No contestant has been selected and a study is expected in November 2026; congressional restrictions, combat-system integration, design changes, intellectual property, workforce capacity and technology transfer could determine whether any foreign-derived option actually reaches contract.