The argument for more gun defenses compares modern missile batteries with the former division into light, medium, and heavy anti-aircraft weapons. In this interpretation, missiles replaced the heavy layer while many ships lost much of their light and medium gun support. Type 23's reliance on Sea Wolf, with two single 30 mm guns and no separate close-in weapon system, provides one example. A denser Type 45 battery with three 76 mm mounts and three Phalanx systems is proposed as a comparison with Italian practice. Type 31's 57 mm gun and two 40 mm guns, backed by CAMM missiles, provide a different arrangement. The argument favors the ammunition volume and lower per-shot cost of guns when engaging numerous cheap drones.
Notable Point · 4:10:03-4:11:43
Restoring layered gun defenses against drones
Type 23, Type 45, and Type 31 illustrate the discussion of light and medium gun layers beneath missile defenses.