Sea Dart, Shtorm and British missile independence

The 1976 comparison selects Sea Dart and the Soviet M-11 Shtorm, also called Goblet, as recently available systems. Sea Dart is credited with a range around 74 km, against roughly 30 km for Shtorm. The quoted ceilings reverse that advantage: 60,000 feet for Sea Dart and 82,000 feet for Shtorm. Sea Dart receives a favourable assessment without either weapon being described as the best available. British industrial policy had encouraged independent missile development despite earlier Anglo-American work on joint development and production. Seaslug is assessed as a serviceable predecessor to the more favourably regarded Sea Dart. Rapid technological change makes continued improvement necessary even for a successful missile.