A naval surface-to-air missile is fired with the expectation of destroying its target. Earlier heavy guns could fulfil a screening role by disrupting the enemy's approach, leaving closer weapons to attempt destruction. Applying Cold War missile metrics to those guns can make a system appear ineffective even when it served its intended role. Judging the older weapons requires identifying the attack they were meant to prevent before counting aircraft destroyed.
Notable Point · 1:06:29-1:07:45
Why missile-era kill metrics misjudge older heavy guns
Missiles are fired with an expectation of destruction, so their success measures can obscure the screening role of earlier heavy anti-aircraft guns.