Reply to thread

Message: <blockquote data-quote="NOMISYRRUC" data-source="post: 535284" data-attributes="member: 2134">I think Types 21, 22 and 42 are proof of the "steel is cheap and air is free" theory.They've all got the same machinery so the cost of that is the same. The hulls are of similar size, i.e. 2,750 tons, 4,000 tons and 3,500 tons standard displacement according to the relevant Modern Combat Ships books. (Although I admit that saying a Type 21 is similar in size to Types 22 and 42 is a liberal interpretation of the word similar.) I think they have broadly the same "platform cost".What made the difference is the "payload" - the cost of the weapons, radars, sonar, data processing systems like ADAWS and CAAIS and if they are included in the total helicopters and their stores (which would include homing torpedoes).Type 21 for example is effectively a Type 42 Batch 1 without Sea Dart, CAAIS instead of ADAWS and no Type 965 radar. So the difference between the £7-8 million for a Type 21 and £17 million for a Type 42 in 1969 must have been the cost of those systems.On the subject of CAAIS I think that the early Type 21s weren't completed with it and had it fitted later. If I'm correct that would account for some of the difference between the cost of the first and last ships in the table. Similarly the early ships weren't completed with Exocet and torpedo tubes. That would account for some of the increase in cost as well. Plus the early Type 42s weren't completed with torpedo tubes either if I remember correctly and if correct that would account for some of increase in cost.If I'm correct about the early Type 21s not having CAAIS that would also account for some of the difference between the cost of a Type 21 and a Type 42 at 1969 prices. The cost of fitting it later would remove some of its cost advantage over the Type 42.A broad-beam Type 21 armed with Sea Wolf, built instead of the Type 22 Batch 1 would also need the upgraded CAAIS that Type 22 had and a Type 2016 sonar instead of Type 184. That would reduce the difference between the two ships so it might be better to just buy Type 22s, which also have two Sea Wolfs instead of one and facilities for a second Lynx size helicopter.Broad-beamed Type 21 probably requires a larger crew to work the extra weapons, upgraded sensor and better electronics. That may accounts for the difference between a Type 21 and a Type 22 Batch 1 - 175 v 224. However, I think some of the smaller crew of a Type 21 was that there weren't enough men to operate all of its weapons at the same time, which might only be acceptable to the RN for a small proportion of its ships. You'd also need more accommodation for the bigger crew which might push the size of the ship up which would reduce that difference between a Type 21 and a Type 22 too.</blockquote>

Verification