The Brain and Ears of the Modern Warship: The Rise of the Integrated Mast

  For centuries, the silhouette of a warship was defined by towering lattice masts bristling with antennas, radar dishes, and communications arrays. These structures—sometimes compared to a “forest of metal”—were physical manifestations of a vessel’s sensory power. Yet in the modern era of stealth warfare and electromagnetic competition, that traditional architecture has become a strategic…