ABSTRACT
When the Argentine Exocet missile hit the British destroyer Sheffield and destroyed it through the resulting fires, the world media proclaimed that "smart" weapons had revolutionized naval warfare. It was expected that the further use of smart weapons in the Falklands War would demonstrate the validity of this premise. In light of the impact of smart weapons on the fighting in the Arab-Israeli War of 1973, it would appear that much that happened in the Falklands War merely confirmed the results of a decade earlier. When on May 4th an Argentine Super Etendard aircraft launched the Exocet which hit and eventually destroyed the Sheffield, it seemed that smart weapons had reached a maturity which signalled a radical change in the character of sea warfare. Some perspective on the effect of such smart weapons on today's warfare can be gained from an initial examination of their impact in the naval operations of the Falklands War.
