yes 100%. I get that but the fact of the matter is our ships are very expensive in comparison to the ship they were based off … Rolls Royce’s seemingly fitted with the best of everything ….when I may be wrong we were getting a mature design with a few changes to keep the cost down so we could afford a decent sized fleet on continual build and help speed up delivery…... the opposite at almost every stage, of what we ended up with. Our needs didn’t change on the requirement of 9 Ships to 6. They put lipstick on that pig up under the guise of a naval review but a monkey can see it was a budget decision to drop the build to 6. The waters Australia needs to patrol for Anti Submarine didn’t suddenly shrink by a third. And as has been stated her in the thousands…a fleet of 9 will have 3 available at anyone time..with another 3 almost available while 3 are unavailable due to maintenance cycles.
The base Type 26 for the RN are, like those for the RAN, designed to be advanced and very capable ASW platforms with all that entails in terms of costs and complexity. However, the
Hunter-class frigates for the RAN are also to have a more capable sensor and CMS fitout for air warfare installed.
Yes, the RAN could have opted for the same sensor and CMS fitout as the RN, but then the vessels would be much less capable in terms of monitoring aerial threats. In point of fact, it is possible that the Type 997 Artisan radar for use aboard the RN Type 26's might not provide as much/rapid radar coverage as the CEAFAR arrays currently installed aboard RAN
ANZAC-class frigates with the CEAFAR2 arrays to be installed aboard the RAN
Hunter-class frigates. In some respects, it is possible that a RN radar/CMS Type 26 fitout might have been a step backwards for the RAN. As it stands now, it seems that RAN's versions are to a bit more like the Type 45 in terms of air defence sensor coverage and awareness.
Since the RAN currently only has the three
Hobart-class DDG's for area air defence, paying the extra coin to have high end sensors and a CMS to match does seem prudent, albeit expensive.