Why did containerized shipborne air-defence systems not become common?
Short answerThey require far more than a container - combat-system integration, power, data, and funding - and no one invested enough to make the concept operational.
NotesA launch container depends on hidden infrastructure: sensors, data links, electrical power, and potentially hydraulic systems. A civilian hull may offer deck space, but it does not automatically provide a coherent combat system. Funding appetite, rather than pure impossibility, was the decisive constraint.