The roughly 7,200-ton German patrol design is criticised for lacking a fuller air-defence fit beyond its original protection. ESSM and CAMM are cited as examples of additional capability that could have been considered at the design stage. A later installation is said to face insufficient remaining weight allowance, restricting the systems available. The alternative missile under consideration is accepted as capable in itself. The criticism concerns the limited choices left by the original design and whether these ships will remain useful throughout their intended service lives.
Notable Point · 1:37:34-1:38:42
Why later air-defence upgrades can run into design limits
The return to Germany's large patrol frigates focuses on the difficulty of adding stronger protection after the original design is fixed.