I think you can do a lot of good work with carry handle irons. The A2 sights are IMO some of the best irons ever put on an infantry rifle.
I also think something as simple as a 4x ACOG is a massive lethality enhancement over irons and history had born this out. Optics are king in the real world. It's not that irons are awful, it's that optics are amazing.
This. Irons have worked well for a very long time, and I used to run them on my ARs “back in the day” because they were “more robust.” Then one day I caved and bought an Aimpoint T1, and my life has never been the same since. “Force multiplier” is the term that comes to mind, and they do that very well.