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Neither of those suggestions will work because from about 1936 the RAF started ordering aircraft into production "off the drawing board" which means they placed production contracts before the prototype flew and in some cases before it was even ordered. This was in order to cut several years off the development phase to get the aircraft into service sooner.Before this policy was implemented the prototypes were evaluated by the A&AEE or MAEE & production contracts were placed for the best one or two. This process also allowed lessons learned from the prototype to be incorporated into the production aircraft.Had the old procedure been followed the ALT-Botha would have entered RAF service free of the defects that plagued the real aircraft and this would have included more powerful engines. This would have been because the problems (such as it was under powered) would have been revealed when the prototype was tested and the required improvements would have been incorporated into the production aircraft. However, it would have entered service up to two or three years later than the Real-Botha.Therefore, some of the types ordered in this period were bound to be failures and (as far as I know) the Air Ministry knew that but it was a risk that had to be taken.For what it's worth I agree that the Botha and Defiant should have never been ordered in the first place and to that list I'd also add the De Havilland Don trainer and Saro Lerwick flying boat. However, we need different causes to achieve the desired effect.
Neither of those suggestions will work because from about 1936 the RAF started ordering aircraft into production "off the drawing board" which means they placed production contracts before the prototype flew and in some cases before it was even ordered. This was in order to cut several years off the development phase to get the aircraft into service sooner.
Before this policy was implemented the prototypes were evaluated by the A&AEE or MAEE & production contracts were placed for the best one or two. This process also allowed lessons learned from the prototype to be incorporated into the production aircraft.
Had the old procedure been followed the ALT-Botha would have entered RAF service free of the defects that plagued the real aircraft and this would have included more powerful engines. This would have been because the problems (such as it was under powered) would have been revealed when the prototype was tested and the required improvements would have been incorporated into the production aircraft. However, it would have entered service up to two or three years later than the Real-Botha.
Therefore, some of the types ordered in this period were bound to be failures and (as far as I know) the Air Ministry knew that but it was a risk that had to be taken.
For what it's worth I agree that the Botha and Defiant should have never been ordered in the first place and to that list I'd also add the De Havilland Don trainer and Saro Lerwick flying boat. However, we need different causes to achieve the desired effect.
