The RN was not too optimistic at all. Blaming them is entirely inaccurate. Theyt haven't ever wanted something beyond what they ought to get.donald_of_tokyo wrote:Calling T31e a Patrol Frigate (or ocean going corvette) is correct, I guess. NOT CALLING IT A FRIGATE is something I can surely agree. On the other hand, saying T31e and River B2 "is the same" is nonsense. River B2 differs from T31e, as much as T31e differs from T26.
Hoping for 19 escort is something I also share. But, "2-active CVF policy" killed that possibility. A "global cruiser" concept of T26 also killed that possibility. It is not the T31e which is killing it. RN was again and again too much optimistic in their future, which cost a lot on them a few years later. This is repeating so many times.
The RN defined the requirements. They don't just make up their wishes or requirements out of thin air.
The only blame here goes to the MoD and BAE. This is nothing like the Army's inconsistent decisions that blame them as much as the MoD, the RN has known what they wanted for a long time now. They used to have 3 carriers plus Ocean not too long ago, while ALSO having a larger escort fleet than will be coming, plus a larger nuclear sub fleet. (And a larger mine hunter fleet, and a larger landing craft fleet, and more helos...)
They were not too optimistic if their requirements were wanting that to stay roughly equivalent to a modern world, and even reducing the scale in many areas. It's not like they wanted some giant extra added on. The whole "cruiser" nonsense is entriely inaccurate. Type 26 is, outside having some extra CAMM, not all that different from a FREMM (And in some ways less than one). The Type 26 was what was needed, it's not some Zumwalt class breaking the budget.
The RN's requirement for 19 credible escorts and 2 carriers is actually BELOW the requirements of even less than 10 years ago.
That was until the budget got absolutely destroyed from 2010. If that hadn't been done, then they'd have 13 Type 26 still as the plan and none of this OPV/Corvette nonsense would have occurred.