Well no, the two previously laid down Lion class ships were to be “the first”.
The Vanguard is a modified Lion class specifically made to be built quickly by using existing armaments.
So while derived from Lion, its not a Lion.
Now wether “Vanguard” the name was intended for one of those Lion class ships is a matter of naming.
If one is asking for Vanguard as “originally designed”, it would be the 15 inch armed ship we allready know, but with less design changes due to lessons learned during the war.
A “16 inch armed Vanguard” Is just asking for the Lion class.
There’s more differences between the 2B and the one we have than that, the big thing is Pavespike and LGBs, 9Ls, and possibly Martel TV which while called a anti shipping missile, is basically just a fat wireless AS.11. There’s also a chance of getting 2xAS-30Ls if Gaijin are feeling nice and want to give us the SAAF loadouts
With a TV camera in the nose which the plane uses to guide into the target from well beyond SAM protections.
I x to doubt it ever really being added, but it would deffo be a funi addition, when playing alone hard to use on certain maps as you have to hope a target exists to find, as a teamwork plane, I expect extreme lethality as a ground spotter guides it in.
HAS.1s were capable of firing AS.11. Several were fitted with the weapon platform in the HAS.1’s Commando transport role, but it was also tested on at least one normal HAS.1
But true, the HAS.1 was soon supplanted by the more powerful HU.5 in the Commando role where it served for many years and enhanced with AS.12 and stabilised sights.
