The Italian example combines missiles with a 5-inch gun, 3-inch or 76 mm guns, and 25 mm guns. That variety gives the ship several weapon systems with which to engage different threats at different ranges. The argument for layers treats them as a recurring requirement for warship survival and success in battle. Reliance on one exceptional system assumes that it can deal with everything at maximum range. The criticism is that experience repeatedly exposes the weakness of that expectation.
Notable Point · 0:36-1:20
Italian gun calibres and the case for layered defence
Missiles, 5-inch guns, 76 mm guns and 25 mm weapons illustrate how an Italian armament arrangement supplies several ways to engage threats at different ranges.