Cutting steel is cheaper than designing and integrating a combat system. The Type 45's development bill was intended for twelve destroyers but was ultimately allocated across six, helping create the misleading label of a billion-pound ship even though another hull cost far less to construct. Building more units also lowers later production costs as the yard gains experience. Type 26 cooperation spreads architecture and systems-integration work across British, Australian, and Canadian orders without requiring identical finished ships.
Chapter · 2:29:40-2:31:56
Why shared development matters more than shared steel
Modern warship prices are driven heavily by design, integration, and industrial continuity, so spreading development across more national variants can reduce the cost attributed to each hull.