Why Type 83 is unlikely to be a 96-cell Type 26

Could Type 83 simply become a Type 26 enlarged to carry 96 VLS cells?

Probably not. By the time construction can begin, magazine, power, hypersonic, laser, railgun, and drone requirements are likely to demand a substantially different design.

The Type 26 is judged a strong design for current construction, but Type 83 would emerge after further naval-architecture and weapons development. In the timetable considered here, final Type 26 starts delayed to 2029 and roughly five years to launch would put the earliest Type 83 start around 2034. That date depends on those assumptions rather than an established programme schedule. A 96-cell Type 26 derivative could lack the magazine capacity, electrical power, and space needed for future hypersonic weapons, lasers, railguns, and drones. The argument concerns the requirements of a new design at that future date, while existing Type 26s could continue to be modified through their service lives.