Sea Cat and Sea Wolf served as point-defence missiles during the Falklands War, while Sea Slug and Sea Dart provided area defence. Later CAMM variants reach distances that overlap or exceed those earlier area-defence weapons. Sea Viper extends the area-defence envelope in turn, so range thresholds cannot remain fixed across generations. CAMM-MR is judged to be approaching or entering the area-defence role, while CAMM-ER and the basic version remain point-defence systems in this interpretation. The categories follow the defensive task and contemporary threat.
Chapter · 19:09-25:04
Why naval definitions change with the threat
Sea Wolf, CAMM, and Sea Viper show why a weapon's role cannot be inferred from range alone.