The cost comparison treats production scale as a way to reduce the average price of a highly equipped destroyer. Continuing Chinese Type 055 construction suggests a possible quantity advantage, with the larger ships taking over some of the role and status of the Type 052s. Zumwalt illustrates the reverse effect when an intended class of roughly thirty ships ends at three. The Type 45 programme is described as costing about £6 billion for six ships, including its air-defence research and development. An estimate for six further hulls places them at about £300-400 million each, giving £7.8-8.4 billion for twelve ships and an average of roughly £650-700 million. This is a counterfactual programme estimate for six additional ships.
Notable Point · 1:24:31-1:26:12
Order size changes average destroyer programme costs
The Type 45 comparison estimates how six additional hulls could have spread development costs across twelve ships, while Zumwalt illustrates the effect of a sharply reduced order.