Mature helicopters change postwar escort choices

If helicopter patrols inflicted heavier U-boat losses early in the war, Germany might invest differently in later submarine development. The postwar race toward faster and nuclear-powered submarines could still occur, but navies would already have considerable helicopter experience. A 30-knot submarine would face aircraft carrying developed dipping sonar and surface-search radar. That could change the perceived urgency of shipborne anti-submarine systems such as Ikara. Larger wartime frigates and Castle-class corvettes could also receive hangars and flight decks, leaving many helicopter-capable hulls available in the 1950s. Whether a ship carries helicopters could consequently become part of the distinction between destroyers and frigates.