Design choices shaped the forces behind the totals

The American force is judged to have gained a technological advantage from somewhat later construction. Japanese doctrine encouraged the pursuit of specialized, nearly perfect weapons, while American designs more often accepted a good-enough general-purpose solution. Two Yorktown-class carriers gave the American task forces a relatively consistent basis for support, even though their escorts included several different destroyer classes. Both air groups combined fighters, dive bombers, and torpedo bombers, with the American groups carrying a smaller proportion of torpedo aircraft. Neither navy probably had enough fighters for the defensive task it faced. Numerical superiority therefore needs to be assessed alongside what the ships and air groups were designed and organized to do.