How the Falklands corrected the all-missile warship idea

Did Vietnam or the Falklands prove that missiles could not replace naval guns?

The Falklands most clearly reversed the Royal Navy's gunless-frigate trend, while missiles remained the primary long-range offensive system rather than the only required weapon.

The Royal Navy explored gunless missile ships more seriously than many services, especially through early Type 22 design choices and some Leander conversions. After the Falklands War, later Type 22s received guns and the Type 23 decisively retained a 4.5-inch weapon. Vietnam-era air combat offered a related lesson: the problem was not simply missing guns, but the loss of advanced maneuver training and a system for circulating combat experience. Missiles became the leading long-range offensive layer while guns retained close, defensive, and shore-support functions. The correction was therefore doctrinal and institutional as well as material.