Define the drone mission before adding a Type 45 launcher

Should Type 45 destroyers receive an electromagnetic launcher for drones?

Define the drone mission first. Rotary-wing UAVs need no catapult, and a destroyer accompanying a carrier may be better served by aircraft launched from the carrier.

The drone's mission determines the aircraft and its launch and recovery equipment. A Type 45 operating alongside a carrier may have less reason to carry its own launcher when the carrier can provide that capability. Whether the drone must return also affects the equipment required. Rotary-wing UAVs would not need an electromagnetic catapult, and Clarke's expectation of greater use of these aircraft rests on reports about trials at a satellite airfield associated with Culdrose. For a fixed-wing retrofit, EMALS offers an attractive alternative to steam launching. Type 45 destroyers and Queen Elizabeth-class carriers use gas-electric machinery and lack an existing steam plant to supply a traditional catapult.