VLS gives a warship rapid access to every ready missile, which is valuable against a mass Soviet-style strike. An attacker could reverse the problem by sending only a few weapons at a time. Defenders may still fire several interceptors at each threat, as Invincible and nearby escorts did during a Falklands missile alarm, steadily reducing magazine depth. A force carrying 96 defensive missiles and spending six per raid could face sixteen small attacks before running dry, after which a larger strike becomes much more dangerous. Launch rate and magazine endurance solve different parts of fleet air defence.
Notable Point · 3:22:46-3:25:07
A dribble attack can empty VLS magazines
Vertical launch systems answer saturation attacks well, but repeated small raids can exploit defensive firing doctrine and exhaust a finite missile magazine.