Could continued US work after Akron and Macon produce parasite fighters capable of facing German and Japanese contemporaries?
Short answerProbably; aircraft dedicated to airship operation could avoid some land- or deck-landing structure, while a dual-role design would trade that advantage for conventional landing gear and strength.
NotesCompetitive parasite fighters are plausible if the United States keeps developing the airship-carrier concept. A dedicated aircraft could save weight by omitting conventional landing requirements, whereas one expected to use land bases or flight decks as well would need the heavier structure and equipment for those modes.