Type 26's ASW design sets limits on an air-defence conversion

Type 26 is an anti-submarine specialist whose hull, machinery, sensors, and computing were shaped around quiet submarine hunting. The Hunter variant is described here as only 1.5 metres longer and 0.6 metres wider, with the Canadian variant broadly similar in dimensions. Those modest changes do not provide the volume expected for a FADS command ship. A heavy radar introduces topweight and stability demands, while command facilities, land attack, and additional anti-submarine capability need more internal space. The estimate is roughly 50 metres of additional hull, far beyond a minor insert. Larger options from the original Type 26 design study may save work, although their extent is not firmly established in the discussion. Swapping the contents of the current hull or scaling it mechanically would not solve the problem.