Britain tied its heavy-bomber force so closely to nuclear strike that the arrival of Polaris undermined the programme's central justification. A ballistic-missile submarine could keep the deterrent farther from the United Kingdom and less exposed than bombers based at or operating around home territory. The government also preferred a weapon hidden at sea unless the worst crisis arrived. A capable system could therefore disappear when its defining mission moved to a safer and more politically persuasive platform.
Notable Point · 9:57-11:25
Deterrence changed what major weapons were for
Britain's heavy bombers illustrate how a useful weapon can lose its procurement rationale when another system assumes its defining mission.