Hydrophone promises and interwar budget cuts

Were hydrophones promoted before World War II in much the same way as Bomber Command?

Yes; both were used to justify cuts or avoid spending elsewhere.

An audience comparison places prewar enthusiasm for hydrophones beside the claims made for Bomber Command. Both could be invoked to justify cuts elsewhere or to avoid spending money. Technological optimism could therefore become an institutional and budgetary argument before combat tested the equipment. Promised efficiency shaped force structure as well as expectations of performance.