The intended schedule was to begin phasing the Fulmar out in 1941, with the transition extending into 1942 rather than starting then. It was also supposed to complement a separate single-seat fighter under development. Martlets, later called Wildcats, began replacing it during 1942, and the night-fighter phaseout continued through 1943. Had the expected years of peace continued, the Fulmar would probably have remained a useful doctrinal footnote rather than a front-line wartime type.
Notable Point · 38:32-40:31
The two-year stopgap that wartime delays kept flying
The Fulmar was meant to cover only 1940-41 alongside a new single-seat fighter, but war arrived before its replacement or gradual phaseout could proceed as planned.