Formidable's Fulmars accounted for about half the type's wartime kills during these operations, but reports identified their poor rate of climb as a serious weakness when reinforcements had to reach high bombers quickly. The aircraft had been conceived as a long-range reconnaissance fighter before radar transformed the warning problem. At low altitude the Fulmar could still perform useful work against torpedo bombers, as later Mediterranean operations demonstrated. Its limitations helped drive the Firefly concept, greater use of American designs such as the Corsair, and stronger efforts to adapt Hurricanes and Spitfires for carrier work.
Chapter · 17:10-22:16
Fulmars: useful patrol fighters with a costly limitation
Mediterranean operations showed both why the Fulmar could succeed as an endurance fighter and why its slow climb drove the search for more capable carrier fighters.
Aircraft PerformanceAircraft ProcurementCarrier FightersEric Winkle BrownGrumman F4F WildcatF4U CorsairFairey FireflyFairey FulmarFleet Air ArmHawker Sea HurricaneNaval AviationNorth AtlanticOperation PedestalRadar DevelopmentRoyal Aircraft Establishment FarnboroughSupermarine SeafireTorpedo Bombers