A counterfactual asks what British combat aircraft might have looked like if 2,000 to 2,350 horsepower had been available in 1939 instead of early Merlin output. The examples are the Fairey Fulmar, Supermarine Spitfire, Hawker Hurricane, Avro Lancaster, and Vickers Wellington. They span naval aircraft, fighters, and bombers, so the question applies across British air power. The S.6B's record-setting figure becomes a measure of the possible strategic consequences of aero-engine development, while the scenario remains explicitly hypothetical.
Notable Point · 27:35-28:25
A 2,350 hp engine in 1939 would reshape British air power
Follow a counterfactual through British fighters, bombers, and naval aircraft to see how doubling available engine power could change wartime design.