Aircraft appealed to navies as a fleet-reconnaissance tool because they could search beyond the horizon at far less cost and risk than a cruiser. A cruiser was expensive, heavily crewed, and valuable in combat. Losing a scouting aircraft risked one crew member rather than hundreds of sailors and a gun-armed ship. Aviation therefore promised both better information and economy of force before it matured into a major striking arm.
Notable Point · 27:58-29:00
Aircraft offered a cheaper scouting instrument
Navies adopted aviation early because risking a small aircraft to locate an enemy was cheaper than exposing a cruiser and hundreds of sailors.