The single-seat Blackburn Dart served as a carrier-capable torpedo aircraft when strike missions were still expected within visual range. Dart units included 460 Flight on HMS Eagle, 461 and 462 Flights on HMS Furious at Gosport, and 463 and 464 Flights on HMS Courageous. These aircraft operated alongside spotters, reconnaissance types, and fighters, several of which could also carry bombs. The mixed air group was complicated because different carriers operated around the world. That combination increased pressure on the Royal Navy to make each aircraft cover more than one function and eventually simplify its air groups.
Chapter · 22:13-24:41
Torpedo strike within a mixed carrier air group
The Blackburn Dart demonstrates an emerging strike role within air groups still divided among spotting, reconnaissance, fighting, and bombing.