The proposed 16.5-inch guns reach roughly 24 kilometres, while older 13.5-inch guns reach about 28.5 kilometres. The larger weapon therefore loses roughly 4.5 kilometres of reach in its current technological form. The shorter range is accepted so later ships can share a standardized heavy battery and improve within that calibre. The choice combines immediate tactical performance with fleet-wide development and support considerations.
Notable Point · 2:15:30-2:17:28
The range tradeoff behind a 16.5-inch battery
The new nine-gun 16.5-inch design sacrifices several kilometres of range compared with older 13.5-inch weapons in exchange for a common future battery.