Prudent moves: domestic production, to importation, to importation and licensed production/tech transfer?

[BarnOwlLover]

Let's say there's a country in the Atlantic that's too far away for Germany to attack from the air or with ground forces (though had to contend with their navy during the Battle of the Atlantic). This said country tried to be self-sufficient by building their own indigenous fighter aircraft (though most of their bombers or patrol aircraft were imported or licensed). But as the war went on and things went increasingly in favor of the Allies, they realized that it was simpler for them (and to a degree the Allies as a whole) to import fighters and standardize on them.

So instead of the indigenous fighter, they decide to buy P-51Ds and Spitfire IXs and XIVs, and Mosquitoes as heavy fighters. They did have native designs, but as a contingency measure. Later, they decide to further standardize and wanted to supplement/ultimately replace P-51Ds and Spitfires with P-51Hs/P-51Ls and Mosquitoes with P-82Bs, though with some mods compared to the known production versions (namely cannon armament), with the possibility to either license produce to supplement imports, or at least make components to be somewhat self-sufficient with support though at tech transfer package with NAA.

Are any of these smart moves? Also, I'm accepting that though proposed, the deal to get, let alone build, P-51Hs/Ls and P-82Bs, doesn't happen (or likely doesn't happen) due to war's end and jets coming.

 

[tomo pauk]

Lemme see.
You are suggesting the top crop of the Allied fighters and fighter bombers, and wonder whether that is good enough for a country that Germany has no means of attacking? With addition that aircraft from that country also have no chance to attack Germany?

Not sure what is the point.

 

[BarnOwlLover]

They're still engaging the Germans from bases in the UK and elsewhere in the ETO, and also have plans on joining the fight in the Pacific as forces become available. They're looking at this from an economic standpoint and what's becoming more practical as time went on.

And we have to be fair, the Germans aside from U Boats had little if any way of directly attacking North America, as well.

 

[tomo pauk]

Since these aircraft are basically free and still excellent, I say go for it.

 

[Howard Gibson]

Let's say there's a country in the Atlantic that's too far away for Germany to attack from the air or with ground forces (though had to contend with their navy during the Battle of the Atlantic).

Is this country involved in the war? Canada and Australia joined because they were part of the British Commonwealth. Both nations produced British aircraft under license. Australia realized what a long supply chain existed between themselves and Great Britain, and they tried to design their own indigenous aircraft.

Look at Argentina. They stayed out of the war, and they designed some interesting aircraft, after the war.

Note how engines were way more difficult to design then aircraft. Canada, Australia and Argentina all used American made engines.

 

[BarnOwlLover]

Yes, I already inferred that this country is involved in the conflict. And this country did plan on building their own engines, props, aircraft armament, etc (just not whole airframes in the case of imported aircraft). They did have a license, for example, to build the Merlin (which actually isn't unprecedented--the Czechs were trying to license the Merlin and Peregrine from R-R before the German occupation, per the Praga projects thread on secretprojects).

However, this country didn't want to just keep designing aircraft, and it was cheaper and simpler to import, and maybe license production. For instance, like Australia, who licensed the Mustang, Beaufighter and Mosquito at various points. Ideally, this country did have contemporary aircraft designed for late war, but as a contingency.

It's also an issue of standardization. They basically would want to standardize on the P-51H/L and P-82B (namely in cannon armed form) for single seat/single engine and twin engine fighter late in the war/post war prior to adopting jet aircraft. Of course, this is a real life pipe dream, but this is a "what if" topic.

 

[Howard Gibson]

Canadian Car and Foundry actually developed a fighter aircraft immediately prior to the war. We need to distinguish between Canadians aspiring to stuff, and Great Britain moving manufacturing outside the reach of German bombers. We manufactured Hawker Hurricanes, Avro Lancasters, and de Havilland Mosquitoes. Serious aircraft development in Canada happened after the war.

How about Sweden? They did not participate in the war, but they ordered aircraft from Great Britain, the USA and Germany. They arranged license manufacturing of DB605s for their own indigenous designs and they ordered P-51 Mustangs after the war. Sweden today actively manufactures aircraft.