Built from 2004 to 2008, Atago is a heavier Kongo successor with a helicopter hangar and the same guided-missile role inside the escort force. The larger VLS bank moves from aft to forward, leaving sixty-four cells forward and thirty-two aft with the reload cranes removed. Each escort group needs two guided-missile destroyers, one helicopter destroyer, and roughly five general-purpose destroyers. Four groups therefore require about thirty-two core hulls to guarantee one immediately available screening force at sea. Maintaining those numbers requires continuous construction and a balanced sequence of orders that keeps the shipyards working.
Notable Point · 18:27-20:59
Atago and the ship numbers needed for continuous screening
Four escort groups require eight guided-missile destroyers, four aviation ships, and about twenty general-purpose destroyers to sustain an immediately available force.