Q&A · 2:46:18-2:47:39

Why a British Aegis equivalent belongs on destroyers

A British Aegis-like system would suit air-defence destroyers, but forcing the same computing and sensor burden into an ASW frigate would turn it into a cruiser-sized ship.

Question

If Britain developed an Aegis equivalent, would it equip Type 42 destroyers and Broadsword-class frigates?

Short answer

The destroyers probably would, but the ASW frigates would not because the air-defence computing and sensor burden would require a much larger hull.

Notes

An Aegis-like British system would probably equip the air-defence destroyers, while the Broadsword-class ASW frigates would retain their different specialization. Modern warships devote substantial space and computing power to interpreting their sensors. The destroyer's workload centres on radar and air defence, while the frigate's centres on sonar and submarine detection. Combining both complete processing requirements would demand a much larger ship, described here as cruiser-sized.