The Royal Navy struggled to obtain a dedicated prewar dive bomber, while Fleet Air Arm Flycatchers practiced the technique well before the Second World War. The Blackburn Skua later combined fighter and dive-bomber labels, with the emphasis here placed firmly on its bombing role. Both types show continuity in Royal Navy interest and experience even when procurement did not produce the ideal specialized aircraft.
Notable Point · 44:30-44:56
The Flycatcher and Skua show prewar Royal Navy dive-bombing continuity
Flycatcher practice and the Blackburn Skua complicate the idea that the Royal Navy lacked dive-bombing experience before the Second World War.