The most newsworthy aspect of the launch appears to be that crew quarters will be fitted with iPod docks.
Development of the Type 45 goes back to 1988, when it was a multi-nation project, that broke into a tri-nation one in 1992, and then a UK only project in 1999. Construction began in April 2003, and her main hull was launched this week. She is expected to enter service in 2009.
The question is, with all the PR stuff concerning tracking a grapefruit from 200 miles, will this class be able to cope with a modern symmetric battlefield in the 21st century?
I say symmetric because it was designed during the cold war, but appears to have been adapted to cope with the threat posed by more current threats, like supersonic missiles and mutiple attack aircraft.
But if say China were to launch 25 supersonic antiship missiles at a target like the Daring, perhaps from submerged platforms, what chance would it have? In the event of the loss of the Daring the Chinese would have spent relatively little to take out such an expensive ship.
But if say China were to launch 25 supersonic antiship missiles at a target like the Daring, perhaps from submerged platforms, what chance would it have?
First off, let’s make some assumptions –
1) the Daring is in open seas, with radar coverage to the horizon or beyond
2) the Daring is operating independently of any supporting vessels
3) that a number of Chinese vesssels/aircraft/land units have launched a simultaneous barrage (your 25 missiles)
Given current weapons technologies today – and especially the automation begun with the US’ AEGIS – I’d have confidence that the computer-controlled integration of sensors and weapons would stand a good chance.
A final note. The Type 45 may be the first non-MOD-designed destroyers as stated at the BAe website, but not the first actual warships. That ‘honour’ I believe may belong to the Type 21’s, a class built by Vosper Thorneycroft which proved such a disaster in the Falklands. Without looking it up I believe two were sunk and one reduced to a hulk by fire damage. So much for outsourcing.