Q&A · 4:41:53-4:44:40

When fully remote anti-aircraft control became plausible

Remote direction of naval AA was technically conceivable by the end of the Second World War, but centralized blind-fire automation matured later.

Question

What is the earliest plausible date for fully remote-controlled light and heavy anti-aircraft batteries?

Short answer

Remote human control could plausibly have been pushed into late World War II, while fully centralized automated control required postwar electronics.

Notes

Remote control means a person aiming and firing from a different position; it does not necessarily mean computer control or blind firing. Late-war aircraft turrets and the Iowa class's twin 5-inch mountings provide precedents for electrical control. Limited television equipment makes some arrangements harder to imagine, especially for light anti-aircraft guns. The disagreement turns on that distinction: an aggressively pursued remotely controlled battery is considered possible by late World War II, while comprehensive CIC control is placed in the 1950s or 1960s.