How Type 45 lost its general-purpose option

The explanation for leaving Type 45 fitted for but not with Mark 41 VLS combines internal funding concerns with political perceptions. Some submarine officers reportedly feared that destroyer-launched Tomahawks would weaken the case for submarine funding before the Treasury. The concern was competition before the Treasury, rather than an internal Royal Navy dispute. A further concern was that surface-launched land-attack weapons would make the ships appear too aggressive when allies and submarines already supplied that capability. The subsequent criticism that Type 45 lacked a general-purpose role is treated as a consequence of those earlier decisions. One proposed remedy was a second batch with Mark 41 in place of Sylver, while the Sea Ceptor fit described here uses a different launcher.