Air-launched standoff weapons answer stronger fleet defenses

Exercises may exaggerate how well layered defenses stop dive bombers, but even that perception encourages a genuine search for standoff weapons. One possibility is a rocket-assisted torpedo that travels through the air before entering the water, alongside radio-guided glide bombs and other weapons already being studied in the 1930s. Early jets may appear first as attack aircraft because speed lets them dash through the approach and escape more readily than propeller aircraft. Carrier air groups would remain mixed while navies learn which aircraft, guidance systems, and launch profiles work together. Improvements in shipboard air defense therefore drive the next generation of naval strike weapons.