Fighter direction needed better interception geometry

American radar detected the approaching Japanese aircraft at about 08:55, roughly 35 nautical miles away. Sending fighters directly toward the contact did not necessarily place them where they could attack effectively. A better interception could require an offset course and a climb so that the fighters approached from a favorable angle and altitude. Exercises could conceal this weakness if their scoring credited kills merely because fighters reached the raid. Most Japanese aircraft reached Hornet without being engaged by American fighters, despite the combat air patrol's efforts. British training in the 1920s and 1930s had developed ways of approaching the interception problem. Later cooperation between Saratoga and HMS Victorious helped bring that experience into American fighter direction.