An older, well-understood engine could be more valuable than a powerful but immature alternative when the fleet depended on continuous tracking. Reliable scouts had to maintain contact long enough to cue air strikes and night torpedo attacks against an approaching fleet. Japan supported that requirement with exceptionally well-trained reconnaissance pilots and observers. The cadre was elite but small, so wartime losses removed skills that could not be replaced quickly. Each casualty was therefore a direct blow to a battle plan built around accurate information, and an opponent remained free to refuse the operational pattern for which those crews had trained.
Notable Point · 52:09-55:14
Reliable aircraft and elite crews underpin Japanese scouting
Japan favors proven engines and highly trained reconnaissance crews because accurate contact reports trigger its air and night-torpedo attacks.