Did the Royal Navy's reliance on multi-seat aircraft show that it misunderstood naval aviation?
Short answerNo. Its long-range night-strike doctrine required dedicated navigation before electronic aids were mature, making a second crew member operationally valuable.
NotesA pilot flying from a carrier in 1939 could not rely on the radar beacons and electronic aids available late in the war. Long-range night strikes required someone to navigate to the target and then find a moving carrier again. A second crew member therefore made missions such as the Taranto attack practical rather than proving that Fleet Air Arm design was backward. Even later formations often used multi-seat leaders or retained a second crew member in aircraft intended for demanding night operations.