The Freedom class is "less stable." There are weight issues to this upgrade which the larger Austal design handles more smoothly. The Freedom combining gear issue needed to be cleared up first. The Navy initially had plans to get rid of all but 6 of them, but Congress has now forced them to retain the others, so that had to be decided first...no point upgrading ships the Navy might have let go. Now, any budgeting for this will have to include whether/if all of them, or just six of them, will get the upgrade. And so on. Meanwhile, the relative stability of the Austal design allowed the Navy to do more than just propose it. They have proceeded to bring it to execution.

Also, the Freedom class has always had the "government" combat management system at the heart of this, while the Austal ships used a "propreitary" system which has set them outside the rest of the fleet. At least the Freedom class share "connectedness." Now, the Austal class will be better integrated.

The irony is that this whole upgrade program is a Lockheed developed one, and was originally marketed by them using their own class as models. They are responsible for making this whole thing happen, and it is their program, and they are actually in charge of getting it installed on the Austal ships.

If the money ever coughs up, the Freedom class will then also be done. It being Lockheed's own program, they will keep pushing the Navy for the funding, of that I have little doubt.