Grouping the programmes by mission shows how much of the maritime budget supports anti-submarine warfare. Type 26 receives £4.1 billion, while Merlin and Type 31 each receive £1.6 billion. Adding Type 23 support, wider underwater warfare and Wildcat brings the broad ASW grouping to roughly £9 billion, with Type 31 and Wildcat counted as supporting capabilities. That concentration helps explain the North Atlantic emphasis. Smaller allocations include £190 million for Type 23, £200 million for offshore patrol vessels and £240 million for amphibious shipping. The £600 million maritime line for Type 45 is only part of its planned expenditure because missile-defence and DragonFire funding also appear elsewhere. The Hybrid Navy line is read as £1.5 billion in the table and £1.3 billion in the following prose, without a reconciliation.
Chapter · 3:01:52-3:09:04
The maritime budget is principally an ASW programme
The naval spending table is regrouped by mission, revealing that Type 26, Merlin, underwater warfare, Type 31, and Wildcat dominate the allocation.