Are ships with relatively few VLS cells already obsolete, or is cell count simply the latest naval numbers race?
Short answerNeither extreme is right; ships need enough cells for their threat and role, and a lightly armed escort can still release a stronger ship for the frontline.
NotesVLS capacity alone does not determine which missions a ship can perform. A Belgian escort with only part of its cells filled would not be assigned to the most intense air-defense station in a carrier group. It could instead protect distant convoys, support helicopter operations, or patrol the English Channel, allowing a more capable destroyer to serve elsewhere. A modest battery may also defeat an isolated missile attack in a lower-threat region even though it cannot survive a coordinated salvo from a peer force. The limited provision is criticised as an avoidable risk to sailors, even though the lower-threat role helps explain it.