Phalanx brings a very high rate of fire, though its 20 mm rounds may lack the reach and stopping power needed against modern missiles. The concern is compared with interwar reliance on machine guns and the Second World War shift to dense 40 mm anti-aircraft armament. Faster and heavier incoming weapons make interception distance valuable because a last-second hit may still leave dangerous debris and momentum. The comparison does not assume that history repeats exactly. It warns against treating unproven replacements as if they were already fielded solutions.
Notable Point · 20:03-22:39
The case for a heavier last-ditch defence
Phalanx is judged better than nothing, but the video argues that faster threats make the historical lesson of heavier close-range firepower relevant again.