Q&A · 1:55:02-1:55:48

How carrier size constrained twin-engine naval aircraft

Larger Admiral-class carrier conversions might have given the Royal Navy enough deck and hangar space to pursue twin-engine aircraft earlier.

Question

What limited inter-war moves toward twin-engine naval aircraft?

Short answer

Carrier size was a major constraint; larger British battlecruiser conversions might have enabled a twin-engine Fleet Air Arm much earlier.

Notes

A viewer asks whether any navies pushed toward twin-engine naval aircraft. France and other countries explored the idea, but carrier dimensions remained a major constraint. Converting the larger Admiral-class hulls instead of Courageous and Glorious might have made a British twin-engine path practical. Aircraft doctrine therefore depended on the size of the carrier platforms available when requirements were set.