Aircraft and warship limits create opposite problems for states trying to contain Britain's lead. Tighter naval displacement ceilings favor a fleet with compact gas-turbine machinery, while higher ceilings also give Britain more tonnage in which to exploit the same advantage. Extending arms control to aircraft would be harder because interwar air-power conferences repeatedly struggled to define and count aircraft in an enforceable way. Treaty policy therefore cannot cancel the technical head start cleanly.
Notable Point · 2:21:17-2:22:16
Why treaty rules cannot neatly contain Britain's turbine lead
Displacement limits and failed air-power conferences show why arms control cannot simply erase Britain's technical advantage.