Q&A · 2:56:45-2:56:58

Why Royal Navy ships moved away from 40 mm guns

An all-missile view of future warfare discouraged 40 mm guns.

40 mm Guns Missile Warfare Royal Navy

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Question

Why did Royal Navy warships move away from 40 mm guns?

Short answer

Planners expected the future to belong to missiles.

Notes

An expectation that future naval warfare would rely on missiles discouraged the adoption of 40 mm guns. That expectation is rejected here. The brief reply gives no further detail about the procurement decision.