Modern drones and loitering munitions provide an analogy for the recurring need for timely fire support at a specific place, although the technologies are very different. First World War aircraft lacked the endurance to remain overhead as dependable on-call support, and even in the Second World War sustained air cover often depended on having enough aircraft to rotate through the task. A protected warship close to shore could remain available and answer requests with heavy artillery. Apparently obsolete systems may be rational answers when judged against the technological choices available at the time. This functional comparison explains why a monitor could remain useful even when its speed and appearance looked obsolete.
Notable Point · 9:34-11:50
Heavy guns as pre-drone on-call support
The monitor is presented as the best available answer to the need for persistent, precise support before aircraft could remain overhead for long periods.