War sharply separated production pressure from open-ended research. Once war began, resources flowed toward ideas that could be turned into usable equipment immediately, while promising but immature paths lost priority. That pressure could field workable equipment quickly while cutting off systems whose greater potential required more experimentation. After the war, practical experience could combine with shelved theory and freer experimentation to drive a technological surge.
Notable Point · 14:04-15:49
Why war cut promising drone experiments short
Wartime funding favored systems that could become operational quickly, interrupting longer-term experiments even as practical engineering accelerated.