RN weapons

[TLAM Strike]

Originally Posted by ABBAFAN

suppose the uk had to rely on the old 22 and 42 how threatening are they to other modern navies?are they still sort of top end?

I would say that the Batch 3 Type 22s are still a fairly good ship as the British design philosophy goes. They can carry two Lynx helos and have 8 harpoons but their air defense is mostly aimed at self-defense unlike USN Frigates which were (until recently) designed to be intergraded in to a battle group’s air defense system. Still a handy ship but I'm not sure how far upgrades could make them last.

The Type 42 Batch 3s might still be a good ship if they were outfitted with the Seawolf missiles that was planed. As you might remember in the Falklands war other than their Sea Darts they hand no other air defenses besides than some old WWII AA guns so the Seawolf SAMs would have made a good addition to its air defenses, which now included 2 CIWS. Although I doubt even with a few upgrades they could last much longer, they are already a cramped ship and adding more gear will just exacerbate that. I think its time to let them go.