Carrier-group work prompted a modest lengthening from 136 to 138 metres. The more important change was aviation: the first batch commonly carried the Seasprite, while the later batch could operate the Seahawk. The labels short hull and long hull exaggerate a dimensional change of less than two percent, so batch one and batch two are clearer. Some sources instead call the groups Flight I and Flight III without identifying a built Flight II. That leaves open whether Flight II referred to foreign ships or an unrealized design study. An unbuilt 1990s Burke Flight III study illustrates why counting design studies as completed flights can confuse the numbering.
Chapter · 21:03-27:02
What changed between the Perry batches
A two-metre hull extension mattered chiefly because it supported Seahawk operations, while inconsistent flight labels obscure the class's development.