Why standoff torpedoes might help Sea Dart

Would a purpose-built Argentine air-launched anti-ship torpedo change the Falklands War?

Probably not; a standoff launch could actually improve British engagement opportunities by matching Sea Dart's intended target geometry.

The hypothetical weapon is an Argentine anti-ship torpedo with a generous launch window for the A-4 Skyhawk. Even with that advantage, the aircraft would still have to enter Sea Dart's engagement range. British area-defence missiles were designed around a Soviet attack using bombers and standoff weapons. Argentine aircraft carrying ordinary bombs instead pressed close to the ships, exposing missile arming-distance limits and weaknesses in radar coverage at short range. The fleet also lacked the abundance of close-range guns carried by World War II warships because that was not the anticipated attack. A standoff torpedo could therefore keep its launching aircraft in conditions better suited to British defences. The comparison with American experience off Vietnam illustrates how an actual opponent could expose gaps in a force designed for a different threat.