County-class destroyers versus helicopter cruisers

What would happen if the last County-class destroyers were replaced by the missile-armed helicopter cruisers contemplated at the time?

Keeping the Batch 2 Counties is one preference, although helicopter cruisers offer more aviation capacity. The comparison depends on which escort-cruiser design is chosen and how much deck space and armament it sacrifices.

Several early-1960s escort-cruiser designs combined Seaslug missiles with helicopter facilities, distinct from the later Sea Dart concepts associated with Invincible. The last two Counties, Antrim and Norfolk, are suggested as the most plausible ships to replace. One preference is to retain the Batch 2 Counties because the proposed small cruiser offers too little aviation capacity for its compromises. Exocet becomes a point of disagreement: retaining the Counties would preserve their missile capability, while a reply proposes fitting Exocet to the helicopter cruiser. The layout under consideration is intended for helicopters only. Suggestions to shorten the flight deck and reposition the twin 4.5-inch mount or add a second missile launcher expose the competition between aviation space and weapons.