The Pratt & Whitney R-2800 Double Wasp and the prototype line leading to the Vought F4U Corsair show what American industry could plausibly offer in an early naval war. Britain's Sea Fang is raised as a home-grown alternative. In the United States, the emerging Grumman Wildcat and the initially competitive Brewster Buffalo show that the carrier-fighter choice was still unsettled in 1939. Famous later-war aircraft cannot simply be imported into an earlier scenario because engines, prototypes, development time, and procurement decisions still determine what is available.
Notable Point · 13:32-15:34
American carrier-fighter options before the Corsair
American engines and fighter projects show what Britain might obtain if it requested carrier aircraft on a different wartime timetable.