Q&A · 3:16:28-3:17:17

Would the Swordfish survive alongside twin-engine carrier aircraft?

Smaller carriers preserve a role for single-engine torpedo bombers, even if a hypothetical Incomparable conversion encourages larger aircraft.

Question

Would a Swordfish still emerge if the Royal Navy developed twin-engine carrier aircraft?

Short answer

A single-engine torpedo bomber would still be needed for smaller carriers, although its design could differ and the Swordfish name alone might survive.

Notes

A later aircraft could still receive the Swordfish name without resembling the historical design. Smaller Royal Navy carriers would continue to need a single-engine torpedo bomber even if the largest conversions operated twin-engine types. The two kinds would therefore probably develop in parallel. Sharing engines and components would be attractive, but rapid interwar engine development repeatedly frustrated attempts at commonality.