Balancing a 320-cell cruiser

How should a proposed cruiser with 320 VLS cells, twin 6-inch guns, multiple 76 mm mounts, and gas-turbine power be balanced?

Devote more cells to air defence, retain a large strike magazine, and reconsider whether gas turbines alone can power and propel such a large sensor- and weapon-intensive ship.

The proposed cruiser carries 320 vertical-launch cells, but its initial allocation leaves too little air-defence capacity for the panel's preferred balance. A suggested load is 160 cells for long-range anti-aircraft missiles and 40 for quad-packed short-range weapons, giving 320 surface-to-air missiles while leaving 120 cells for strike weapons. The proposed two twin 6-inch mounts and supporting 76 mm and 40 mm guns also prompt discussion of using gunfire for some attack missions. Sensors, weapon systems, and propulsion would impose a substantial power demand. Nuclear propulsion is favoured by some contributors for long-range cruising, while the gas-powered Queen Elizabeth class shows that conventional power is not automatically unworkable at this scale. A ship intended for overseas presence must also consider whether nuclear propulsion would restrict diplomatic port visits.