Basically usually when we have had a change of government the incoming mob have looked at all the shiny new gear either in service or entering service and assume they can sit on their backsides for a term or two before doing anything.
- As time goes by they are finally made to realise that the world has moved on and the gear we have is insufficient.
- They then decide to upgrade existing gear to give themselves some breathing space to decide what to do long term.
- Government may change at this point but their hands are tied.
- What they decide to do takes longer than planned so more upgrades are required.
- Government may change at this point but their hands are tied.
- Finally the new gear starts to arrive , usually after the old gear has fallen apart.
- A new or the old government is comfortable with all the new shiny gear so sits back and does nothing.
- Cycle starts again.
Its bad enough when the new gear is a trio of DDGs, but when its patrol frigates or patrol boats we are in real trouble, because the new stuff isn't as good as the older stuff that has yet to be replaced.
Many here realise, but some wont, that the FFGs were actually patrol frigates, designed as replacements for the convoy escorting DEs in USN service. Although equipped with the same Standard SM-1 and Mk-13 launcher as the DDGs, there were not DDGs, lacking the 3D radar, command and control systems and additional fire control channels of the destroyers. There were more capable than the in service River Class DEs because they were newer with more modern systems but in truth the DEs were the pinnacle of early post war ASW escort design, its just that they were built for too long and then upgraded and retained well beyond their usefulness. The replacement for the Type 12 Frigates (that the DEs were based on) in the RN were the Leanders, the Type 22 Broadswords and then the still in service Type 23s, we replaced ours with ANZACs.
So basically the RN went Type 12, Type 12M (Leander), Type 22 (the Type 21 Amazons were in there as well as an interim acquisition), Type 23 and now Type 26. We went Type 12, ANZAC, Type 26 over the same time frame, relying on expensive, inefficient upgrades and life extensions to stretch the capability and to skip generations.
Not as bad as pretending the FFGs are area air defence ships, we still acquired an AEGIS frigate and called it a destroyer when what the RAn needed was either a larger more capable design, or more hulls of the good enough Hobarts.