Fleet air defence should be judged by ships saved and strikes disrupted as well as by aircraft destroyed. A fighter attack that forces bombers to scatter, drop early, or lose formation can prevent the concentrated salvo that overwhelms a ship's defences. Individual ships then have a better chance of evading torpedoes or defeating the few weapons still aimed at them. The same logic connects Second World War torpedo attacks with the modern problem of missile saturation.
Notable Point · 14:38-17:09
Why breaking up a strike matters more than its kill total
The Fulmar's defensive value lay in scattering an incoming raid, reducing a coordinated torpedo or bomb attack to threats ships could meet one at a time.