Late-war Avengers and Helldivers carried no more offensive load than fighter-bombers such as the Hellcat and Corsair, while additional crew and defensive guns reduced their performance. Electronic navigation aids reduced the need for a dedicated navigator. These changes encouraged the U.S. Navy to seek high-performance aircraft combining a single pilot with a heavy offensive load. Requirements evolved while earlier designs were still entering service, so aircraft arriving after 1945 reflected several competing assumptions about the carrier bomber's role.
Chapter · 1:49:13-1:50:14
The move toward single-seat carrier strike aircraft
Late-war navigation aids and air superiority changed the U.S. Navy's assumptions about crews, defensive guns, and strike aircraft.