Innovative Main Reduction Gears for Future US Navy Frigate USS Congress

Main Reduction Gears (MRGs) are large components that transfer energy from a ship's main power source to its propeller shafts, enabling the vessel to move at various speeds under changing conditions By DA Staff / 22 Jun 2022

Discover Leading Defense Technology Solutions

Discover cutting-edge solutions from leading global suppliers
SUPPLIER SPOTLIGHT
New Main Reduction Gears for US Navy Frigate USS Congress
Follow DA

Fincantieri Marinette Marine (FMM) has awarded The Timken Company’s Philadelphia Gear a contract option to deliver the Main Reduction Gears (MRGs) for the future USS Congress (FFG-63), the second frigate in the Constellation (FFG-62) class of ships.

Philadelphia Gear is designing the key components of the ship’s propulsion system at its technical center in King of Prussia, Pa., and will perform manufacturing and assembly at its marine center of excellence in Santa Fe Springs, Calif. 

FMM’s contract with the Navy includes options to build up to 10 FFG-62 class frigates. If the Navy opts to order all those ships, Timken could realize revenue of more than $150 million over the life of the contract.

“Philadelphia Gear has served as a trusted partner on Navy projects for almost a century,” said Carl Rapp, Timken group vice president. “We’re drawing on our deep industry knowledge to develop a completely new MRG configuration for the FFG-62 class.”

Timken’s MRG solution will work within FMM’s first-of-its-kind propulsion and drivetrain system. MRGs are large components that transfer energy from a ship’s main power source to its propeller shafts, enabling the vessel to move at various speeds under changing conditions. Philadelphia Gear designs and builds MRGs for a variety of active Navy ship classes and supplied the MRGs for the previous frigate (FFG-7) class.

The future USS Congress (FFG-63) will be the Navy’s seventh vessel to bear that name. The first USS Congress was one of the Navy’s original six frigates built in the late 1700s. The latest generation of ships will be 496 feet long with full-load displacement of 7,291 long tons. They will be able to reach 26 knots (30 mph) at full speed. The first of these new frigates, the USS Constellation (FFG-62), is scheduled to enter service in 2026.

Posted by DA Staff Connect & Contact

Latest Articles

SmallSat & Space Access Summit 2025 to Convene Key Industry Experts

DSI has announced the 8th Annual SmallSat & Space Access Summit, taking place June 25–26, 2025, in National Harbor, MD, featuring discussions on small satellite technology and space access solutions

May 14, 2025
Textron Systems Advances Naval sUSV Capabilities with TSUNAMI Delivery

Textron Systems has delivered its first TSUNAMI autonomous surface vessel to NSWC Dahlgren, supporting research, testing, and development of future naval capabilities

May 14, 2025
Tactical Digital Communication Platform for Real-Time Battlefield Awareness

Savox has launched the Savox Bridge, a secure and reliable military communications system for challenging tactical environments

May 14, 2025
Enhancing Defense Operations with Efficient Collaborative Robots

Explore how Elite Robots, represented in the U.S. by KT Technical Solutions, is equipping defense operations with safe, flexible cobots that enhance efficiency, safety, and mission readiness.

May 14, 2025
Q&A: Sunhillo’s Advanced Surveillance Solutions Power U.S. Military Operations

In this Q&A, Sunhillo outlines how its surveillance technologies are enhancing U.S. military operations, with real-world deployment examples and innovations in cybersecurity and data integration

May 14, 2025
Next-Gen Group 2 UAS Enters Production with Extended Endurance & Upgrades

Aurora Flight Sciences upgrades the SKIRON-X Group 2 UAS with greater versatility and tactical mission endurance, as well as announcing the hydrogen-powered SKIRON-XLE variant

May 13, 2025

Featured Content

Discover ANELLO’s SiPhOG™ for GNSS-Denied Navigation at XPO25

CEO of ANELLO Photonics, Dr. Mario Paniccia, will present at Xponential 2025 on the company's SiPhOG-based inertial navigation technology in GPS-denied and GNSS-contested environments.

May 09, 2025
U.S. Army Partnership Advances Autonomous Helicopter Logistics Program

The U.S. Army is partnering with Honeywell and Near Earth Autonomy to retrofit Black Hawk helicopters with scalable autonomy kits for uncrewed logistics operations

May 08, 2025
Modular Head-Mounted Digital System for Real-Time Decision Support in Contested Environments

Galvion's new CORTEX™ system integrates compute, power, and data management into a modular helmet-mounted platform designed for modern tactical operations.

May 06, 2025
Advancing Defense Capability Through Strategic Collaboration Defense Advancement works with major OEMs to foster collaboration and increase engagement with SMEs, to accelerate innovation and drive defense capabilities forward.