Radar helps explain why Swordfish aircraft remained aboard operational ships after their torpedo-bomber design looked obsolete. Some carried beacon receivers and sea-search radar, including aircraft used around Malta. That equipment could detect the large radar target presented by a submarine travelling on the surface. Because submarines of the period did not remain continuously submerged, an old airframe could still contribute to reconnaissance and anti-submarine patrols. Electronics and enemy operating patterns extended the service value of an otherwise dated aircraft.
Notable Point · 44:25-45:56
Why radar kept the Swordfish useful
Sea-search radar kept the slow Swordfish useful on patrol against submarines that still spent much of their time on the surface.