The Type 83 discussion illustrates the space demands of combining high-end ASW and air warfare in one ship. Both roles require computers, electrical generation, and room for the supporting equipment. The argument is that those demands make a substantially smaller hull difficult, rather than establishing a final Type 83 specification. A smaller navy relying mainly on frigates has a different reason to combine capabilities than a fleet with many Burkes. The historical analogy imagines a Napoleonic Royal Navy composed entirely of third-rates or larger ships. Such a fleet would be expensive and short of ships for its varied work, illustrating the tension between individual capability and available numbers.
Notable Point · 1:05:12-1:06:47
Combined warfare systems, ship size, and fleet numbers
Type 83 and a hypothetical all-third-rate Royal Navy illustrate the technical and force-structure costs of concentrating capability in every ship.