Institutional ownership affects the speed of technical development. Once the navy controls an air arm and its budget, it can direct established shipbuilding contacts and procurement capacity toward carrier aircraft and their support systems. The service treats aircraft almost like flying destroyers: fleet assets designed, funded, and operated for naval missions. This helps explain why carriers could advance in peacetime even if anti-ship aircraft engines matured more slowly without wartime funding.
Notable Point · 2:31:26-2:32:06
Why naval control accelerates carrier aviation
A separate naval air arm channels the Royal Navy's money and industrial relationships into carrier aviation, treating aircraft as fleet systems rather than adjuncts to land forces.