Why aircraft numbers matter across an empire

Would you prefer roughly 4,700 capable aircraft or about 600 exceptional aircraft of the same period?

Roughly 4,700 upgradable Lincolns, because a widely dispersed empire needs the coverage that a much larger force can provide.

The opening aircraft counterfactual compares roughly 4,700 capable aircraft with about 600 exceptional aircraft of the same period. An empire spread across large distances needs enough aircraft to cover those distances. The answer therefore favors Lincolns and assumes that later upgrades could improve them. It is a force-structure argument about usable reach and upgrade potential rather than the quality of an individual aircraft.