Alex Clarke imagines six additional Type 45s with Mark 41 VLS in place of the Sylver installation. His argument begins with the development costs already paid for the first six ships. He estimates about 1.8 billion for another six before allowing a higher illustrative figure of 350 million each for the changed fit. The resulting arithmetic is 2.1 billion for the extra batch and 8.1 billion including his stated first-batch total. These are his hypothetical estimates, without a priced design or demonstrated weapons-integration plan supplied in the passage. The example concerns the distinction between class development cost and the cost of later hulls.
Notable Point · 1:45:17-1:46:33
A hypothetical second Type 45 batch spreads development costs
An illustrative continuation of Type 45 uses a different launcher fit to explore the cost of extending a mature production run.