 An improved version, the D class, was planned for 1934, but escalating design requirements in response to the French s resulted in the replacement of the D class with the two s.

Plans for an improved "Panzerschiff" were renewed in 1937 with the P class.Initially intended to comprise twelve ships, the P class was a central component of Grand Admiral Erich Raeder's Plan Z fleet, which was designed for a commerce war against Great Britain.Subsequent versions of Plan Z reduced the number of ships to eight and then removed them altogether, replacing them with the s by 1939.