The SR.177’s endurance would determine its carrier value

What if the Royal Navy acquired a successful SR.177 rocket-and-jet interceptor?

Its value would depend on endurance: useful for combat air patrol if it could remain airborne, but too specialised if it had to recover immediately after an interception.

The answer makes endurance the central test for adapting the Saunders-Roe SR.177 to carrier operations. If the aircraft could stay aloft long enough for combat air patrol, its rapid interception performance might justify the investment. If it could only launch, make one interception, and immediately recover, the carrier would have to support a narrowly specialised aircraft with limited persistence. The airframe might therefore alter deck and support arrangements without delivering enough operational value to warrant a large force.