Sea Dart could engage aircraft at range but could not visually verify every target. That identification gap helped the Royal Navy justify Harriers for the Invincible-class carriers, especially in the uncertain space around open conflict. A crewed aircraft also places the final engagement decision with someone sharing the operational risk. Remote or autonomous systems therefore leave rules-of-engagement and political-accountability problems for human commanders to solve.
Notable Point · 1:31:51-1:33:53
Why Sea Dart still left a role for crewed Harriers
The Invincible-class Harrier case shows why long-range weapons and remote systems do not remove the need for human identification and accountable decisions in gray-zone operations.