Choosing naval missiles and radars by mission rather than one ranking

What are the best surface-to-air missile and radar systems fitted to ships?

The preferences are Standard Missile for area defence and Sea Ceptor for point defence, with SPY/Aegis valued as an established combination and SAMPSON for complementary capability.

The missile choices depend on the task. Standard Missile is favored for area defence, with a personal preference for SM-3 and acknowledgment that others would choose SM-6. Sea Ceptor is the point-defence preference, with earlier Sea Wolf combat experience forming part of the reasoning. SPY radars are assessed alongside Aegis because the sensor and command system work together. The later SAMPSON comparison concerns complementary allied capability: a different radar can offer something the alliance's common system does not do in quite the same way. The exchange supplies preferences and operational reasoning, rather than a controlled comparison establishing one universally superior system.