Q&A ยท 2:50:28-2:51:37

What smaller avionics would change on Sea Vixen

Miniaturized radar and missiles could increase Sea Vixen's missile load, but doctrine rather than space kept guns off the design.

Question

Would miniaturized radar and missiles let Sea Vixen carry cannon and more missiles?

Short answer

It could carry more missiles, but guns would still be rejected under the all-missile doctrine that shaped the aircraft.

Notes

Smaller systems would release volume and weight for additional missiles. Cannon were omitted because designers expected an all-missile future, not because fitting guns was physically impossible. At least two cannon could probably have been accommodated even without the hypothetical miniaturization. Sea Vixen therefore illustrates the risk of building around an immature weapon concept whose promised replacement of guns was not yet fully reliable.