Taranto as a navigation achievement

The beacon and recovery system made a night carrier strike feasible, but its success also depended on trained pilots, observers, and aircrew coordination. Of the 21 aircraft that flew, two were shot down and one turned back with problems, while the remaining 18 returned without a navigational loss. That recovery record challenges the idea that the Royal Navy failed to appreciate naval air power. Equipment introduced only a few years earlier succeeded because aircrew had repeatedly trained for demanding long-range navigation in darkness.