Zumwalt's new gun system and other developments depended on buying enough ships to spread their costs. Cutting the proposed run from 32 ships to three concentrated substantial program costs on very few hulls. The Type 45 analogy separates total program spending from the price of constructing another ship: a £6 billion program producing six destroyers gives an average of £1 billion each. A hypothetical twelve-ship program is estimated in the discussion at roughly £7.8-9 billion, with several approximate estimates offered within that range. Even the £9 billion estimate gives an average of £750 million per ship. These are estimates for a larger program, not costs observed for twelve completed Type 45s. The comparison explains how reducing production can raise average program cost without an equivalent rise in each hull's construction cost.
Notable Point · 46:36-49:29
A shrinking Zumwalt production run magnifies program cost
Zumwalt and the Type 45 cost example distinguish the expense of an individual hull from development and other costs spread across a shrinking production run.