The Blackburn Skua shows what happens when one airframe inherits incompatible missions. Air Ministry rules prevented the Royal Navy from ordering a pure dive bomber, so the aircraft had to meet a combined fighter and dive-bomber requirement. It was highly useful in the attack role and exceptionally poor as a fighter. Early evaluation and deployment focused on the fighter requirement, limiting its availability when a specialized dive bomber could have been valuable. Commonality saves little when the combined specification weakens the aircraft's strongest role.
Chapter · 18:12-19:06
The Blackburn Skua's incompatible roles
Air Ministry rules forced the Royal Navy to order the Blackburn Skua as both fighter and dive bomber, burdening a capable attack aircraft with a role it could not perform well.