The Royal Navy's quiet shadow-aircraft concept

A prewar Royal Navy proposal sought a small, quiet, high-flying aircraft that could observe enemy ships from above. It would approach at night, glide where possible, and run its engines carefully to reduce the chance of revealing its position. The proposal addressed the difficulty of maintaining contact after an initial sighting. In this assessment, the design was imaginative but impractical, leaving the American force to manage the risks of shadowing with ordinary aircraft.