What is the impact of the Air Ministry choosing the Gloster design over the Hurricane? Who knows what motivates politicians and bureaucrats, but perhaps we could assume the Air Ministry wanted to hedge their bets in case supply/production or design issues plagued the Merlin of the Spitfire.
How is the Battle of Britain impacted (i.e. could the Gloster be as quickly produced and as competitive to replace the Hurricanes)? What about earlier development of the Bristol Hercules and Centaurus? Does the Gloster fighter take the place of the Sea Hurrcanes and CAM-ship Hurricanes? Would the Gloster be a dead-end design, rendered obsolete by 1942, or could it be continiously upgraded through the war like the Spitfire? Without the Hurricane, with Syndey Camm be given the go-ahead to develop the Typhoon earlier (IIRC, production and upgrades to the Hurricane delayed the Typhoon)?
