US weighs S. Korean, Japanese, Turkish frigate designs for new FFG(X) competition

The US Navy is reportedly evaluating frigate designs from South Korea, Japan, and Turkey for a new surface combatant competition, signaling a shift toward leveraging allied shipbuilding capacity. The report is based on an unnamed source and lacks official confirmation. If realized, this would mark a notable expansion of allied participation in US naval procurement, with implications for transatlantic and Indo-Pacific defense industrial integration.