Iver Huitfeldt on the cruiser spectrum

The class carries layered air defence, anti-ship missiles, guns, torpedoes, and a helicopter while remaining the Danish Navy's principal global presence platform. Its roughly 9,000-nautical-mile range at 18 knots matters more to the cruiser argument than a simple VLS total. The class also supplied the design basis for Britain's Type 31, although the Royal Navy did not adopt the Danish StanFlex pool. The StanFlex approach makes headline construction prices difficult to compare because weapon modules belong to a separate shared pool. That modular arrangement is especially attractive to smaller navies because expensive capabilities can be distributed across a fleet rather than permanently bought for every hull.