Why a modified F100 frigate would keep growing

Would a 900-ton enlargement of the F100 design, with fewer VLS cells, more fuel, and the desired anti-submarine equipment, have met the US Navy's frigate requirement?

It might work on paper, but the proposed margin would likely disappear as requirements were added and officials resisted removing systems.

The proposed F100 variant adds 900 tons, removes 16 vertical-launch cells, and seeks 6,000 nautical miles of range alongside the desired anti-submarine equipment. Clarke doubts that the additions fit within that allowance, though he accepts the concept could appear workable on paper. His main objection comes from his stated experience of discussing requirements management with NAVSEA contacts. In that account, staff add equipment for safety or capability but hesitate to remove it because of possible later blame. Getting an omission approved through repeated management layers is therefore treated as a separate obstacle from producing an initial design.