It’s a very damming report but the development of the Hunter class is now so advanced that I can’t see it being abandoned for another option. Due to the necessity of getting the Anzac’s replacements built as quickly as possible, Hunter construction will have to continue but the number may be reduced due to cost.
The Type 26 design has a very quiet propulsion system which is a big driver of the high acquisition cost. This is why the Royal Navy is limiting the Type 26 to 8 ships and building 5 much cheaper Type 31’s (General Purpose frigates) to complete the replacement of their Type 23’s. This low noise level will make the Hunter class a superb ASW frigate (with substantial AAW capability) but also, the large hull gives a lot of flexibility for future growth or subsequent use for other roles. BAES has proposed an Air Warfare Destroyer variant with as many as 128 missile launchers - a very capable platform. The savings in support and logistics of having all the Tier 1 warships based on the same hull and propulsion system will have significant savings in support and logistics with improved availability.
The selection of this design was a cluster f**k but where we are now means that we have to proceed as fast as possible and make the most out of what looks like a very good design. The largest amount of the re-design work to integrate the CEAFAR 2 radar, SAAB 9LV & AEGIS combat system is very advanced and this configuration would also be used in subsequent versions.