The Fairey Swordfish's biplane form can conceal how well it matched the Royal Navy's requirements. In 1939 it provided the available long-range night-strike capability, and its mature technology suited that mission even as monoplanes were becoming common. Speed alone was a poor measure of usefulness, just as a helicopter can be more useful than a fast jet for modern anti-submarine work. Retaining the Swordfish did not prove that the Navy had ignored air power.
Notable Point · 10:45-12:24
Why the Swordfish's biplane form did not make it obsolete
The Fairey Swordfish remained useful because its mature design met the Fleet Air Arm's night-strike needs, despite the shift toward monoplanes.