The Fleet Air Arm's missing engine supply base

Could the Fleet Air Arm have protected its engine needs with a large early engine order?

A contract could help, but a separate production base and supply chain would matter more than a paper order alone.

The Fleet Air Arm's early interest in 2,000-horsepower engines was obstructed by Air Ministry priorities and production politics. Fighter advocates and other Air Ministry factions also opposed the heavy-bomber group that dominated allocation decisions, so the dispute reached beyond a simple Royal Navy and RAF rivalry. A paper order could therefore be overridden unless the Fleet Air Arm secured its own industrial supply. A Bristol-backed factory in Ceylon is proposed because it sat near trade routes and could support both Mediterranean and Far Eastern forces. Australia offered safety and resources but lay too far away to serve the Mediterranean efficiently, while an Indian site would bring additional governing authorities into the decision. Such a factory might also push naval aircraft toward Bristol radial engines, creating a clearer division between Fleet Air Arm and RAF engine supply.