Why the Royal Navy ordered the Albacore

The formal end of the Ten Year Rule in 1932 came several years before meaningful rearmament funding began to flow around 1937. The Royal Navy could spend that interval anticipating another war, but had only about two years to turn plans into funded aircraft and industrial capacity before 1939. It expected the Barracuda to deliver greater range and weapons capacity, but recognized that its advanced equipment could delay service entry. The service therefore avoided placing its entire wartime torpedo-aircraft plan behind one technically ambitious project. The Albacore offered a more conservative interim aircraft while also sustaining Fairey's workforce, factories, and production experience during rearmament. The decision shows procurement as risk management: an apparently redundant aircraft could preserve operational cover and the industrial capacity needed for the next design.