How well do recent warship classes built in Scotland fit their intended missions?
Short answerThey are generally sound designs, but the carrier and destroyer forces needed more hulls, dock capacity, and missile flexibility.
NotesThe Queen Elizabeth class is a good fit for British requirements when judged against its intended mission. A preferable force would have three ships, slightly greater hull length, and another dry dock able to support them. Type 45 is a sound design but should have received Mark 41 cells and a separate short-range missile provision from the outset. The Batch 2 River, Type 26, and Type 31 concepts are broadly appropriate for the work assigned to them.