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Agreed. We need interwar British foreign/diplomatic (MI6) and military (DMI) intelligence on Japan to be better. Ideally we can start with an earlier formation of MI10 with a dedicated Far East branch - a good catalyst is when Japan exits the WNT in 1936, so that preliminary info can be "carefully" shared at the 1937 Imperial Conference. Without better information we'll never get to an Empire fighter program before Dec 1941.You need to be careful about what was known from intelligence sources about Japanese shipbuilding plans and not apply hindsight.
Mussolini was DAF to declare war on France and Britain in 1940. Italy could have made like a Swedish robber baron selling arms to both sides. Unlike Nazi Germany, Italy had a functioning economy but with an underdeveloped industrial sector. So remain neutral and yes, sell those Re.2000s and much more to Britain.There is another possibility. And that is an import. We know that the UK has been negotiating with Italy to import aircraft. I'm not sure, but I assume that those 300 pieces of Reggiana Re 2000 were intended for the Near) Far East, Australia ... ?
Australia in particular is behind the times. As it wasn't until autumn 1936 until CAC was founded under Canberra's goal of developing a self-sufficient aircraft industry. Mind you, India's HAL won't get started until 1940. In comparison, here in Canada we were rocking the 1930s aeroplane making biz with the likes of Canadian Vickers (founded 1923), Fairchild Aircraft (1920), Fleet Aircraft (1928), de Havilland Canada (1928) and Canadian Car & Foundry (CC&F), which flew its first Hawker Hurricane in Jan 1940.
Of note, until the mid to late 1940s Australia had no formal foreign intelligence service whatsoever. Canada still doesn't have one outside of the CSE's listening posts.
I suspect when the Japanese were stomping through SEA the Brits would have needed Spitfires to stand up to the Zeros. Gladiators and Hurricanes would have been slaughtered just like the Buffalos were historically.Admittedly three Gladiators kept the Germans at bay for longer than expected but against the Japanese fighters I suspect they would have been shot down far earlier.
Like nearly all latest generation fighters of the day the German fighters were designed with speed and climb as prime requirements so were much less nimble than the Gladiator but for the Japanese fighters that nimbleness was a prime requirement.
Ah the enduring myth of Faith, Hope & Charity on Malta.Admittedly three Gladiators kept the Germans at bay for longer than expected but against the Japanese fighters I suspect they would have been shot down far earlier.
Like nearly all latest generation fighters of the day the German fighters were designed with speed and climb as prime requirements so were much less nimble than the Gladiator but for the Japanese fighters that nimbleness was a prime requirement.
Using previous generation as "Empire" fighters is only possible if production of new types is adequate to fill all the front line squadrons, which it wasn't. Previous generations usually went to overseas theatres as replacements for even older types.I suspect the concept of an "empire fighter" doesn't make sense in a time when aircraft technology was advancing as rapidly as it was in the 1930'ies. Even many fighters ostensibly designed as the best possible were already obsolete at launch (Gloster Gladiator, looking at you). I fear the by the time you have designed and tested the aircraft, setup factories with tooling etc. (possibly in some far away colony rather than at home in the UK!) for volume production, the bespoke empire fighter will already be hopelessly outclassed. Instead I'd suggest using the previous generation of the frontline fighters. For instance, when the UK squadrons equip with Hurricanes and Spitfires, pack up the Gladiators and send them to the colonies. Another advantage of this approach is that the spare parts supply for the old machines still exists, maybe even some small-scale production capacity. And hopefully most of the initial issues inevitable with any new aircraft have long since been addressed, so the crews out in the colonies get their hands on well debugged equipment that (hopefully!) doesn't need constant handholding by the manufacturer.