The plan expects Type 45 destroyers to provide an initial ballistic-missile-defence capability by 2028. It also proposes fitting DragonFire from 2027. Those investments sit beside an ambition to begin retiring the class in 2035, leaving a short interval between major upgrades and withdrawal. Since the retirement decision lies two general elections away, later governments may alter the timetable, but the current plan does not reconcile the two commitments.
Notable Point · 2:18:39-2:19:51
Type 45 upgrades collide with a 2035 retirement goal
Expensive ballistic-missile-defence and DragonFire upgrades are scheduled only a few years before the plan says Type 45 retirement should begin.