A Burke successor needs space for later modernization as well as its initial equipment. Fleet air defence is difficult to fit into progressively smaller vessels because radar weight and installation height, computing requirements, and missile dimensions all affect the ship. These physical demands are expected in the discussion to persist for another twenty years or longer unless there is a major technological breakthrough. The forecast is conditional on how the technology develops. Periods of slower change in naval technology are also offered as part of the explanation for Burke's unusually long life.
Notable Point · 1:34:23-1:36:27
Why fleet air defence places demands on hull size
The air-defence discussion connects radar installation, computing, and missile size to a successor's hull and future growth space.