You know what could improve naval aviation a great deal for the British?
1. Doctrine: A great deal of time and effort was wasted on the wrong referent enemy, (Japan) and on a fundamental misunderstanding of Empire defense.
a. If the referent enemy is Germany, and the naval threat is the U-boat, then it makes sense to apply that logic to naval auxiliary allocation and to requests for information as to possible aviation systems to combat that threat. IOW, if the USN has a need for MAC tankers, then it follows that the RN has even more need for MAC tankers and the aircraft that can operate from same.
b. ASW in this context does not require high performance; it requires the ability to take off, search the ocean, attack targets of opportunity and trap back aboard a landing deck by an aircraft. IOW if the FAA is going to secure the western approaches and the mid Atlantic; then the plane has best be able to do two things... operate from a MAC and be able to shoot down enemy LRMP aircraft. What the British have is the Gladiator and the Swordfish. What they need is this:
Nothing says dead meat like that bird.
Data from McDonnell Douglas aircraft since 1920 : Volume I
General characteristics
Crew: 2
Length: 33 ft 1.25 in (10.0902 m)
Wingspan: 41 ft 6.375 in (12.65873 m)
Height: 13 ft 7 in (4.14 m)
Wing area: 325 sq ft (30.2 m2)
Airfoil: root: NACA 2415; tip: NACA 2407[58]
Empty weight: 6,404 lb (2,905 kg)
Gross weight: 9,359 lb (4,245 kg)
Max takeoff weight: 10,700 lb (4,853 kg)
Fuel capacity: 260 US gal (220 imp gal; 980 l) in non-metallic self-sealing fuel tanks
Powerplant: × Wright R-1820-60 Cyclone 9-cylinder air-cooled radial piston engine, 1,200 hp (890 kW)
Propellers: 3-bladed Hamilton-Standard constant-speed propeller
Performance
Maximum speed: 255 mph (410 km/h, 222 kn) at 14,000 ft (4,300 m)
Cruise speed: 185 mph (298 km/h, 161 kn)
Range: 1,115 mi (1,794 km, 969 nmi)
Ferry range: 1,565 mi (2,519 km, 1,360 nmi)
Service ceiling: 25,530 ft (7,780 m)
Rate of climb: 1,700 ft/min (8.6 m/s)
Wing loading: 28.8 lb/sq ft (141 kg/m2)
Power/mass: 0.128 hp/lb (0.210 kW/kg)
Armament
Guns:
2 × 0.50 in (12.7 mm) forward-firing synchronized Browning M2 machine guns in engine cowling
......….2 × 0.30 in (7.62 mm) flexible-mounted Browning machine gun in rear
Bombs:
2,250 lb (1,020 kg) of bombs
Most importantly, it is a rough weather bird that does not need a catapult. Just 100 meters to take off and 50 meters to trap.