Naval Historywith Dr. Alex

Q&A · 1:34:05-1:35:15

A decade-by-decade map of postwar naval technology

Integrated fire control and combat information shaped the 1940s, missiles and ASW the 1960s, satcom the 1970s, and networked integration the following decades.

Anti-Submarine WarfareCombat Information CentresCombat SystemsMissilesSatellite Communications
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Question

What were the most important naval-warfare developments in the decades after the 1930s?

Short answer

Integrated fire control and CICs, then missiles and ASW, satcom, and progressively more integrated data-driven combat systems.

Notes

Integrated fire control and the combat information centre are the choices for the 1940s. The 1950s are treated mainly as a period of bringing existing developments together. Missiles and expanding anti-submarine capabilities dominate the 1960s, followed by satellite communications in the 1970s. From the 1980s onwards, integration and the use of data become the recurring themes. This is a selective outline of bursts of change followed by consolidation. Reluctance to invalidate expensive existing equipment is offered as one reason change can slow between those bursts.