Humans throughout the ammunition path acted as limit switches and inspectors, confirming that shells were secure and mechanisms had reached the correct position. Central fire control could already provide much of the gun's training and elevation information, while machinery supplied the force needed to move and ram ammunition. Full automation required sensors to tell each machine when to stop, continue, or reject an unsafe condition. Those devices had to remain dependable beside gun blast, recoil, shock, and moving equipment. Control reliability was therefore a greater obstacle than raw mechanical force, and extreme precision was useful only if the sensor could survive the environment.
Chapter · 20:12-23:10
Sensors, not lifting power, blocked full automation
Heavy-gun machinery could already move ammunition; the remaining challenge was reliably sensing position and safe completion under shock.