A missile's reach is separate from the much harder task of striking a moving ship at that distance. A carrier's last reliable position may already be tens of minutes old, while a re-entering ballistic vehicle faces difficult communications and terminal-guidance conditions. NATO groups could operate across a broad area east of Iceland rather than at one fixed point. Reconnaissance satellites could be attacked, jammed, obscured, or deceived, and a task group could steam one way during a pass before changing course out of view. The kill chain therefore depends on persistent detection and data relay. A range circle on a map is insufficient.
Notable Point · 3:39:03-3:41:32
Finding a carrier is harder than reaching its operating area
Missile range does not solve the moving-target problem when a carrier can manoeuvre across a huge sea area and disrupt or deceive the surveillance chain.