Naval Historywith Dr. Alex

Q&A · 2:52:13-2:54:10

A 1970s Blowpipe missile in 1945

Giving Britain Blowpipe in 1945 introduces a short-range surface-to-air missile about thirty years early, making it useful in Korea and later conflicts despite limits on calling it decisive.

Alternate HistoryBlowpipe MissileKorean WarMan Portable Air Defence SystemsSurface-to-Air Missiles
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Question

How disruptive would Blowpipe be if Britain obtained it in 1945 and used it in Korea and later conflicts?

Short answer

A thirty-year technology jump would make it highly useful and damaging, though not automatically decisive by itself.

Notes

Blowpipe would provide Britain with a useful short-range air-defense weapon in the proposed Korean War scenario. The initial assessment resists calling that capability devastating by itself. The date then changes the comparison: obtaining a weapon associated with service from 1975 in 1945 introduces roughly thirty years of technological advance. That gap is the reason for expecting it to inflict substantial damage in the counterfactual. Later users included Chile, Argentina, Canada, and Portugal, while its installation on Israeli Gal-class submarines connects the missile to the submarine premise of the question.