Procurement can draw on popular memory rather than the most important operational evidence. Sea Harriers performed well in 1982, but their success became the dominant image while the lack of airborne early warning received less attention. Without an elevated radar picture, fighters could not reliably be positioned against low-flying attackers concealed below the radar horizon and amid surface clutter. Historical battles such as Midway and the Coral Sea remain useful when their organizational and decision-making lessons are separated from obsolete weapons details.
Notable Point · 19:06-22:08
The Falklands lesson hidden by the Harrier story
The celebrated Sea Harrier performance can obscure the consequences of operating without airborne early warning in the Falklands War.