Frigate numbers for a larger Royal Navy escort fleet

How many frigates would the Royal Navy need alongside four carriers, four large amphibious ships, and eight Type 83 destroyers?

Initially forty: twenty-four Type 26s and sixteen Type 31/32s. Including SSBN support raises the preference to twenty-seven Type 26s and eighteen Type 31/32s, or forty-five.

The initial estimate is twenty-four Type 26 frigates and at least sixteen Type 31 or Type 32 ships, giving forty. The answer then adds a requirement to support the SSBN force. The revised preference becomes twenty-seven Type 26s and eighteen Type 31 or Type 32s, for forty-five frigates. These numbers belong to the hypothetical fleet of four carriers, four large amphibious ships and eight Type 83 destroyers.