Why the Royal Navy wanted twin-engine carrier aircraft

Were there twin-engine carrier aircraft in the Second World War, and why would navies want them?

Several designs were tested or narrowly missed the war. Their range, reliability, fuel, and payload suited long-range strike, but existing carrier dimensions constrained them.

The discussion names the F7F Tigercat, F5F Skyrocket, Sea Hornet, and British Mosquito experiments among the designs that tested or approached twin-engine carrier aviation. French naval aircraft offered further interwar examples, but existing carrier hangars had been designed around smaller single-engine machines. The Royal Navy's interest centred on range, fuel load, engine reliability, and the possibility of carrying two torpedoes for long-range night attack. Pursuing that concept would have required earlier naval control of the Fleet Air Arm from the Air Ministry. If several navies adopted larger twin-engine aircraft, air-group numbers might fall and cannon armament might become more attractive. The exchange therefore links aircraft scale to carrier dimensions, strike doctrine, and service control.