One conditional future brings railguns back as an efficient way to deliver ordnance at very long range. Satellites might contribute targeting data, but electronic warfare, spoofing, and counter-space weapons could make remote information unreliable. Carrier aircraft could then provide reconnaissance, identification, spotting, and shadowing while a cruiser or battleship performed the final attack. The thought experiment returns to the central claim that naval aviation's information mission can endure even when the execution weapon changes.
Notable Point · 56:16-57:49
A future carrier could spot for railgun ships
Even a revived long-range gun would still need resilient reconnaissance and target identification from naval aviation.