A London-based defense manufacturer has offered its powerful Arrowhead 140 frigates to the U.S. Navy. Developed by Babcock, these vessels could form a proposed fleet of the U.S. Navy.The Arrowhead 140 is a general-purpose frigate and its design is derived from Denmark’s Iver Huitfeldt-class warships. It was selected as the foundation of Britain’s five-ship Type 31 programme, which is being built at Babcock’s Rosyth shipyard in Scotland. The design has also been selected for export programmes in Poland and Indonesia, giving it a growing international footprint.Frigate integrates diesel propulsion, offers speeds exceeding 28 knots In its baseline configuration, the Arrowhead 140 is approximately 452-feet (138 metres long), has a beam of around 20 metres and displaces approximately 5,700-6,000 tons. It uses a conventional combined diesel-and-diesel propulsion system and is capable of speeds exceeding 28 knots.Babcock does not operate a shipyard in the United States, making an American industrial partner central to its proposal. Huntington Ingalls Industries is expected to be a potential partner because of its experience building warships for the U.S. Navy and its established industrial infrastructure.The two companies already have working relationships in the submarine sector, including activities associated with components supporting American and British nuclear-powered submarine programmes. These existing connections could provide a foundation for broader cooperation in surface shipbuilding.For the U.S., the Arrowhead 140 represents a potential route to broadening its frigate options and reducing dependence on lengthy new-design development. If the ship can be adapted economically and produced at scale, it could help the Navy expand its surface fleet while preserving larger combatants for more demanding missions.Recently, Babcock welcomed suppliers, industry partners and Indonesian and UK Government stakeholders to London for a UK-Indonesia Supplier Day, highlighting opportunities for British businesses to support the delivery of Indonesia’s ambitious Maritime Partnership Programme (MPP). The event reinforces our commitment to building a strong, collaborative supply chain that delivers economic growth, innovation and long-term maritime capability in both nations.“Strong partnerships are essential to delivering growth, innovation and capability. This Supplier Day demonstrates the momentum behind the Maritime Partnership Programme and our commitment to ensuring UK industry plays a meaningful role in its success,” said Harry Holt, Group CEO, Babcock. “The programme is about more than ships. It is about building long-term industrial partnerships, developing skills, supporting technology transfer and creating economic opportunities across both nations. By bringing together suppliers, industry leaders and government stakeholders, we are helping create the foundations for lasting collaboration and sustainable growth.”American frigate requirement has gained urgencyThe American frigate requirement has gained urgency following the cancellation of the Constellation-class programme. Originally intended to provide a modern, multi-mission frigate based on the European FREMM design, the programme encountered significant delays and escalating costs as the ship was extensively modified to meet U.S. Navy requirements.The experience highlighted a central problem in warship procurement; selecting an existing design does not necessarily guarantee faster or cheaper construction if the customer substantially changes its architecture.The U.S. Navy could use a frigate of Arrowhead 140 type for maritime security, escort operations, independent deployments and other missions that do not always require its more expensive destroyers. Such a division of responsibilities could allow Arleigh Burke-class destroyers to concentrate on demanding tasks such as area air defence, missile defence and long-range strike operations.