Layered armor raises the cost of a missile kill

The proposed armor scheme places propulsion, command spaces, and flotation-critical systems beneath an armored deck and within a protected inner cocoon. The King George V class supplies a historical prompt because external armored hull plating could be replaced after damage, though the modern arrangement would protect different vulnerabilities. Lighter outer armor would trigger incoming warheads before they reach that citadel, allowing subdivision to contain and vent the blast, while missiles, guns, lasers, and electronic warfare attempt interception first. The operational payoff is uncertainty for the attacker: if several penetrating hits are needed, a defender with hundreds of VLS cells may force an enemy to spend a very large salvo for one kill.