Destroyer designs and eroding technological superiority

China's investment and development effort challenge the assumption that an inherited technological lead still amounts to supremacy. An accumulated stock of technology can remain an advantage without guaranteeing continued dominance. Japanese destroyers drawing on the original Arleigh Burke approach illustrate how an established hull design can eventually constrain new systems. Chinese and Western designs alike attract criticism for concentrating on sophisticated threats. This leaves the question of whether their weapons and magazines suit cheaper attacks delivered in large numbers.