What changes if Armstrong Siddeley builds the Twin Wasp for the Skua and a navalized Gloster fighter?
Short answerBoth aircraft improve, and a successful British fighter could alter later Fleet Air Arm procurement.
NotesMore power makes the Skua a substantially happier aircraft and gives a navalized Gloster F.5/34 a better chance in competition. The F.5/34 specification also sought an expeditionary fighter able to operate in places such as North Africa, giving the engine decision an imperial operating context. A successful domestic engine-airframe combination could reduce the later incentive to buy American Hellcats. The scenario links engine licensing to aircraft performance, procurement, and doctrine rather than treating horsepower as an isolated change.