Resources spent developing the Blackburn Roc might instead have produced more Hawker Hurricanes, Supermarine Spitfires, or Blackburn Skuas. Avoiding the Roc might also have allowed further development of the Skua. A more powerful engine is proposed as a way to solve several of its problems quickly. Giving the Skua and Fairey Fulmar the same engine might then have kept the Skua in service longer. No particular engine is named, and the outcome remains an unknowable counterfactual.
Notable Point · 9:31-10:21
Roc development costs and a more powerful Skua
The Roc's opportunity cost raises the prospect of more Hurricanes, Spitfires, or Skuas, along with a better engine path for the Skua.