Small ships exhaust upgrade margins sooner

Do smaller warships receive fewer upgrades than larger ships?

Usually yes, because topweight and space limits force small ships to remove equipment before adding more, while larger hulls often retain early-life growth margin.

Smaller ships usually receive fewer upgrades because they consume their weight and stability margins sooner. Larger ships may begin service with reserved volume and capacity, as in the Type 45 example. Early additions can then fit without major reconstruction. Later in life, even a large hull reaches the point where equipment must be removed or the ship modified before another system can be installed.