When a twin-engine air group might need specialist fighters

Would the need for dedicated fighters change the common-aircraft approach as the war continued?

It could, but the decision would depend on combat performance and whether the larger pool of aircraft available for patrol compensated for weaker individual fighter performance.

Wartime experience could lead the hypothetical Fleet Air Arm to buy single-engine fighters from the United States or alter the common aircraft's weapons. The result would depend on how well its twins performed in combat. A common air group of around 90 aircraft would also give the carrier a much larger pool available for fighter duty. In the example, that pool might sustain a combat air patrol of roughly 24 aircraft, even if each aircraft performed less well in individual air combat than a specialized fighter. The advantage depends on the scenario's large air group and remains a proposed operational estimate.