The missing British land-based air-defence layer

Britain considered several land-based adaptations of naval missiles. Sea Cat produced the land-based Tigercat, which saw service, and the aircraft-launched Hellcat proposal found no buyer. A vertically launched Land Wolf proposal and Guardian also failed to produce the wider shore-based layer imagined here. A later comment identifies Red Heathen as a land-based Sea Slug project, although the caption leaves the exact name uncertain. Concern about submarine-launched and other modern missile threats makes the gap more visible. During a major event such as a coronation, a Type 45 has to enter the Thames to cover London, tying a scarce warship to a fixed defensive task. The example shows how a missing land system can consume naval capacity.