Examples behind the Swordfish and a 1939 Fleet Air Arm fighter requirement show the level of detail imposed for deck handling, range, armament, folding wings, and communications. The government issued the requirement but expected competing companies to finance their prototypes. A firm that lost the competition could therefore absorb the development cost without receiving an order. The model spread risk across private industry, unlike later systems in which government-funded research and development becomes a major source of contractor revenue.
Chapter · 3:19:45-3:29:09
How British aircraft specifications shifted development risk
Interwar Britain issued operational specifications and expected companies to fund competing designs before receiving a production order.