Daring was laid up from 2017 while the fleet worked towards a solution to its machinery problems. Her Power Improvement Project was eventually completed in January 2023. Her expected return to the fleet in 2026 also depended on completing the work needed after her return to Portsmouth. Taking a usable component from Daring could put another Type 45 to sea immediately, with the replacement then redirected to Daring when it arrived. That exchange helped meet an urgent deployment while adding complications to the ship already further from readiness. Defence equipment is bought for unforeseen events, so a fleet sized around a perfectly predictable maintenance cycle leaves too little room for disruption.
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Daring's completed power refit did not guarantee a return to sea
Daring completed her power improvements in January 2023, but supplying parts to other Type 45s complicated her return and exposed the cost of having little reserve capacity.