County-class helicopter facilities added limited flexibility

Were County-class destroyers more multi-purpose than the Charles F. Adams and Farragut classes because they carried a helicopter?

The helicopter facility added flexibility, but the aircraft of the period were much less versatile than modern naval helicopters.

The County class gained a genuine multi-purpose advantage from having a helicopter hangar and flight deck. The aircraft available when the ships were designed lacked the flexibility of modern naval helicopters. The aviation facility still broadened reconnaissance, liaison, and support options without making the ship superior in every combat role to Charles F. Adams- or Farragut-class destroyers. The comparison is a design tradeoff rather than a simple national ranking.