Why restarting Type 45 production is impractical

Should Britain restart Type 45 production with a stretched hull and more VLS cells?

No; yard capacity is committed to Type 26 and Type 31, and restarting an obsolete production line would yield few ships at very high cost.

The missed opportunity was at initial construction, when nine general-purpose Type 45s with additional Mark 41 cells would have been valuable. Once the line has closed, industrial continuity and yard conversion costs dominate the decision. Existing yards were already committed to Type 26 and Type 31, with the larger-combatant line expected to transition to Type 83. Reopening a dormant Type 45 line would spend heavily on facilities and workforce for only a small interim batch.