Frequent construction gives designers repeated opportunities to improve a class instead of waiting for a single large technological leap. Chinese surface ships and submarines provide the comparison with delayed American programs. Alex Clarke applies the same argument to Britain's Astute and Type 45 production, favoring additional mature hulls as a way to spread development costs and retain construction experience. His Astute example refers to six boats in the current force and imagines seventh and eighth boats lowering average costs; those figures belong to his illustrative argument and do not establish the complete procurement history. A larger fleet also offers more flexibility when several ships enter long maintenance. The Type 45 example contrasts a pool of nine hulls with six to explain that availability benefit.
Chapter · 37:24-40:39
Iterative construction, unit costs, and fleet availability
Chinese construction and British Astute and Type 45 examples connect repeated building to learning, cost, and the number of deployable ships.