Weapons and Sensors
Over the 20th century, naval weapons and sensor equipment (such as radar and sonar) have been adapted and improved to meet changing needs and threats, such as U-boats and enemy aircraft.
Huge developments have also taken place in how equipment is operated. Individuals no longer manually operate most weapons and sensors. Missiles and other modern weapons travel too far and fast for a person to be able to aim and fire it manually. Today targeting data passes automatically to the weapons, which can be updated in flight by shipboard sensors, or their own sensors.
The role of the Warfare Specialist is now very technical and the people who join the navy need to be skilled at using highly sophisticated and computerised technology. Today there are separate sub-branches specialising in Missile & Gunnery, Electronic Warfare, Underwater Warfare, and Above Water Warfare Tactical, which brings information from all ship borne and other sensors together.
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