THE CHINA MAIL, JANUARY 28, 1939.
BRITAIN'S AIR STRENGTH Big Programme Of R. A. F. Expansion
Building Up The
Reserves ·
New standards of air strength will be set by Great Britain during 1939.
The effort to build up a strong air force will culminate this year with England and the Domin- ions and Colonies co-operating in accelerating and extending the supplies of men and machines and in bringing the numerous expansion schemes to their full fruition.
chines is the absence of the cannon, or large 'calibre automatic gun. It is essential that the new types should mount the cannon because of the increased range it givos.
for the Handley Page Hampden | feature of the British service ma- bombing aeroplanes. The education concerned is that of workmen, for there is a need for building up the supply of skilled labour for air craft work in Canada. Australia is now to be investigated also with the objective of arranging for air- craft to be build there to British designs.
Provision of reserves of pilots with the demand. The Civil Air has so far managed to keep pace.
Corps are valuable for this pur Guard and the Air Defence Cadet
pose.
Defence Cadet Corps had
While this intensification of pro- progressing in developing new duction is going forward, work is types, though most of this work is Forty-two squadrons of the Air necessarily secret. At the present
been moment, however, there is reason formed comprising 4,200 cadets. to suppose that the aeroplanes The first was formed on July 25. Unprecedentedly large sums of money will be actually in Royal Air Force squa- Three squadrons have been form- spent on technical and warlike stores; output rates drous are superior in performance ed in Scotland: at Glasgow, Edin-
to those in the squadrons of the burgh, and Perth. for aero-engines and airframes will be more than air forces of any other country. trebled; further calls will be made on manufac-The Supermarine Spitfire has a top turers in the Dominions; recruiting will be stimu- hour; the Hawker Hurricane of 335 speed of more than 350 miles an lated; reserves will be built up; many new factories mp.h., the Blenheim bomber of will be brought into action.
The' air estimates, to be present- ed in March, will total some $200,- 000,000, compared with the figure of £103,500,000, including the £30,000,000 from the defence loan, which was presented in March last year. In 1935 the figure was about twenty-seven millions.
No official figures are now being given as to the first line air strength; but the existing strength of the Metropolitan Air Force, which is concern- ed with home defence, is about 1,700 machines. By the end of the year it will be more than 2,200
machines.
This is a larger increase than appears at first sight because it en- tails a full depth of immediate and stored reserves with appropriate personnel, and with it there will go an increase in the overseas strength of the Royal Air Force and a large increase in the strength of the Fleet Air Arm.
The Fleet Air Arm, according to the decision made by the Govern- ment in July, 1937, has become part of the Navy, although the de- sign and construction of its air- craft still comes under the Air Ministry. Since the change, plans have been-made for large increases. Not only is the aircraft carrier being looked upon with less dia- favour, but catapult aircraft are being subjected to useful develop- ment. The Admiralty's immediate problem is that of forming a suffl ciently large body of mechanics, and last week a rescruiting cam- paign with this end in view, was launched. The present personnel of the Fleet Air Arm, including both officers and men, is about 3,000. A strength more than three times this is now visualised,
DOUBLING THE QUTPUT Sub-contracting and mounting production rates from the shadow and other factories will more than double the output of machines dur- ing the coming six months, and by the end of the year the output will have been trebled.
Co-ordination of manufacturing. facilities has been helped during the past year, according to the views of eminent men in the air- craft industry, by the work of Sir Charles Bruce Gardner, the execu- tive chairman of the Society of British Aircraft Constructors.
There have also been, with the object of still further aiding this co-operation, various appointments at the Air Ministry and outside it. Mr. Lemon is the Director-General of Production. The aircraft indus» try in this country is now employ- ing more than 100,000 men,
Canada has been given what is described as an "educative" order!
•
In addition five schools have formed squadrons at Hammer- and Salisbury. The organisers of smith, Enfield, Horley, Kingston,
the corps are
anxious to obtain 294 m.p.h.
more assistance from the flying AN ESSENTIAL FEATURE clubs in the formation of further The only noticeable backward! squadrons.
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