Editing Torpedo bomber (section)

=== Interwar years ===
[[File:Hawker Horsley Flying a.jpg|thumb|The [[Hawker Horsley]]]]
Of the major maritime nations, only Britain, Japan and the United States developed carrier-borne torpedo bombers after hostilities ceased in Europe. Initially, Japan purchased both ships and aircraft from Britain, as the Imperial Japanese Navy modelled itself on the Royal Navy. Of the three, only Britain and Japan also perceived a need for land-based torpedo bombers, though a number would be developed by other countries. Bordered by oceans against any possible foe, the United States ignored landplane torpedo bomber development.

The first landplane specifically designed as a torpedo bomber was the [[Hawker Horsley]]. By the mid 1930s, the torpedo bombers that would start the Second World War were being deployed. The [[Fairey Swordfish]] flew first in 1934, the [[Douglas TBD Devastator]] and [[Mitsubishi G3M]] ''(Nell)'' in 1935 and the [[Nakajima B5N]] ''(Kate)'' and [[Bristol Beaufort]] a year after that.<ref name="ReferenceA">David, Donald (ed.), The complete encyclopaedia of world aircraft. Noble and Barnes, New York 1977. {{ISBN|0-7607-0592-5}}</ref>