Should Type 83 be backed by a more mass-producible Type 48, and how many large ships would Britain need?
Short answerAbout eight Type 83s could sustain Pacific presence and carrier escorts; a large additional Type 48 program is unlikely to be funded.
NotesThe preferred approach is to build enough Type 83s rather than immediately creating a smaller Type 48 substitute. A continuously deployed ship in the Pacific consumes several hulls once maintenance, training, transit, and relief rotations are counted. Protecting two carriers also creates demand for at least a pair of large escorts around each carrier cycle. Those requirements make a force of roughly eight Type 83s plausible very quickly. Promising both eight large ships and twelve cheaper companions is unlikely to survive budget pressure because the smaller type could displace the more capable program.