Hobart and Type 45 carry a 48-cell VLS inheritance linked here to NF-90's single-mission air-defense assumptions. Even the 96 cells of an Arleigh Burke are judged insufficient for the demand on modern missile magazines. Britain can sometimes pair two of its six Type 45s around a carrier, while Australia's three Hobarts offer less scope to do the same. Reopening a mature design to add capacity brings delay, which encourages navies to retain choices made much earlier. Type 45's power troubles provide a parallel criticism of specifying only enough margin for the original requirement. Linking missiles on other ships through shared sensors and data is acknowledged as useful, but the assessment is that it cannot substitute for replacing the Hobarts.
Chapter · 14:09-16:20
VLS depth and design lock-in
The 48-cell legacy of NF-90 shows how early single-mission assumptions can lock later destroyers into inadequate magazine depth.