Larger Type 45 and Type 26 designs under fixed ship numbers

Would choosing the largest Type 45 and Type 26 designs have made the eventual ship numbers less likely?

Probably not, because the funding decision fixes ship numbers. Larger designs could have provided more capability within that numerical limit.

Treasury funding fixes the number of ships, leaving an incentive to make each ship as capable as possible. The Queen Elizabeth carriers provide the comparison: permission for two carriers would not necessarily become permission for three smaller ones. The largest Type 45 option discussed would have added about 3,500 to 4,000 tons. Its remembered missile fit was at least 96 A50 cells and about 48 Mark 41 cells, although those figures are tentative. This would roughly double the existing ship's firepower while retaining a comparatively modest gun fit. Even the largest Type 26 variant currently being built falls within the smaller medium-sized options considered.