Type 45-class

Type 45 destroyers, under development by the Royal Navy, are among the world's most advanced warships; they will replace the Type 42-class destroyers. Their core role is area anti-air warfare, based on the Principal Anti-Air Missile System (PAAMS), jointly developed by France, Italy and the UK. The class was originally planned to have up to twelve ships; six are now planned.; HMS Daring, the lead ship, was launched in February 2006.

The program draws from the cancelled European Horizon destroyer program.

These ships have six eight-cell Sylver vertical launch systems; the basic armament is with 16 x Aster 15 and 32 x Aster 30. The VLS potentiially could, if necessary, handle cruise missiles such as the BGM-109 Tomahawk and anti-ballistic missiles such as the RIM-161 Standard SM-3. Adding these, of course, would call for significant changes or developments to electronics.

For anti-submarine warfare, anti-surface warfare, special operations, and underway replenishment, the ships will be able to operate a helicopter. They will be equipped, initially, with the Lynx HMA.8, but can carry aircraft as large as the Royal Navy Merlin.

They will have two 114mm mk8 mod 1 medium-calibre gun system for shore bombardment and two 30mm guns, and may have additional point defense such as the Phalanx close-in weapons system or Goalkeeper (autocannon).

They have gas turbine propulsion, a maximum speed of 29 knots, and a cruising speed of 18 knots; this is comparable to the U.S. Oliver Hazard Parry-class but slower than the Burke-class and Ticonderoga-class.