Q&A · 2:40:01-2:41:42

A British-Australian-Canadian cruiser family

A joint-program question sketches a common large combatant with national combat-system variants.

Question

What might a joint British, Australian, and Canadian cruiser program look like?

Short answer

A common 15,000-ton-plus, roughly 192-cell hull with national radar and combat-system variants.

Notes

The proposed common design is a surface combatant of more than 15,000 tons with roughly 192 vertical-launch cells and a similar hangar arrangement across the three navies. A British version would probably use developments of the Type 45's air-defense systems and radars. Australian and Canadian versions might use SPY radars, although the discussion separately suggests BAE command-and-control equipment rather than assuming an Aegis combat system. Both countries could instead select the British radar system. Operating it alongside existing Aegis-equipped ships would provide an alternative source of equipment and spare parts.