Designing and testing an aircraft cost far less than procuring it in fleet strength. Compared with constructing additional ships, prototype competitions were affordable enough to keep several firms exploring new naval aircraft during economic difficulty. Governments could still restrict development or production, so affordability did not guarantee a large order. The distinction helps explain why the Fleet Air Arm could generate many specifications and trial types without fielding every design in quantity. A navy could sustain an aviation doctrine and development program despite low production totals.
Notable Point · 7:00-8:35
Aircraft trials cost less than fleet-scale production
Interwar prototype competitions let the Royal Navy explore successive aircraft designs even when mass orders and new warships remained harder political choices.