ASW Frigate

An ASW frigate is a frigate (US hull symbol FFG) configured first for anti-submarine warfare: a low-radiated-noise hull, a bow sonar plus a deployable variable-depth and towed array, an embarked ASW helicopter, and lightweight torpedoes such as the Mk 54. Examples include the Royal Navy Type 23 with its Sonar 2087 low-frequency active towed array and the US Constellation-class FFG-62. The frigate trades the area air-defense magazine of a destroyer for sustained sub-hunting, screening a carrier strike group or a convoy against diesel-electric and nuclear boats.