LINTHICUM HEIGHTS, Md. — The U.S. Navy expects to issue a draft request for proposals (RFP) for its Future Frigate in the middle of fiscal year 2017 and a final RFP in late FY 2017, a program official said Nov. 16.

The frigate is being designed now and will be a “takeoff” of the two existing variants of the Littoral Combat Ship (LCS), said Nidak Sumrean, executive director of the LCS program executive office.

“Essentially, what we’re doing is using the same core seaframes — the Independence and Freedom variants — and we’re enhancing the capability and the lethality by adding systems on there,” Sumrean said at the American Society of Naval Engineers’ Launch and Recovery Symposium.

A contract award for the frigate is slated for 2018 or 2019, and the first of up to 12 frigates is expected to “hit the water” in 2021 or 2022.

The Navy plans to use only one design for the frigate. Lockheed Martin [LMT] and Austal USA are prime contractors for the Freedom and Independence LCS variants, respectively. Freedom has a steel monohull, and Independence has an aluminum trimaran hull.

The Navy has 28 LCSs in service, under construction or under contract and intends to award a block buy for up to 14 more LCSs in FY 2017. Despite a recent series of equipment problems, both LCS variants are proving popular with the Navy fleet, Sumrean said.

“The fleet is asking us to get them out there faster because now they’re seeing the capabilities,” Sumrean told the conference audience. LCS is designed to perform anti-submarine, mine and surface warfare.