Naval purchasing power and Vickers' dive-bombing sight

Vickers had a dive-bombing sight ready when the Royal Navy obtained permission to develop the Blackburn Skua, despite Air Ministry opposition to work on the sight. The Navy wanted that capability while it still lacked control of the Fleet Air Arm. Orders for battleships, cruisers, destroyers and large quantities of ammunition gave it considerable commercial influence with Vickers. That purchasing relationship offers an explanation for a manufacturer preserving an aviation project another service rejected. Direct Admiralty funding of the sight remains a suggestion rather than an established part of the account.