Why offset strategies rarely erase industrial advantage

A weaker power might seek an offset strategy to escape an opponent's industrial advantage, but new technologies tend to attract countermeasures. An anecdote about long-wave weather radar near Birmingham detecting a stealth aircraft distinguishes approximate location from accurate targeting information. In the hypothetical response, fighters with infrared sensors investigate that area, and infrared-guided surface-to-air missiles follow once the target is confirmed. The fighters themselves could be lost to the stealth aircraft's missiles, so the example assumes a willingness and capacity to absorb losses. It illustrates an argument about industrial resources rather than establishing a universally reliable way to defeat stealth. Wealthy states are also often the first to fund offset technologies, leaving economic depth relevant to both innovation and countermeasures.