400 01 'PLANES FOR BRITISH AIR FORCE.

Auckland Star, Volume LXIX, Issue 135, 10 June 1938, Page 8

400 01 'PLANES FOR BRITISH AIR FORCE.

PURCHASE PLAN.

Air Mission's Proposals to Be Acted Upon. LATEST TYPES OF MACHINES. British Offlcinl Wireless. (Received 1.30 p.m.) RUGBY, .Tune 0. The Air Ministry announces that Hip Government has given considera-j tion to the report of the air mission which recently visited the United Slates and Canada, and which was instructed to inquire, primarily, into the possibility of purchases, for early delivery, of aircraft with certain special characteristics. A considerable number of proposals were made, not all of which fulfilled the conditions above referred to. and eventually the mission recommended that negotiations should be entered into with two firms in the United States for a total of 400 aircraft. The (iovcrnment accepted this recommendation and contracts have now been negotiated for 200 aircraft for general reconnaissance, and 200 for advanced training duties. Tho mission also pursued discussions with firms in Canada as to the possibility of bringing into being increased capacity in that country for the manufacture of aircraft on a long-range plan. The Government has under consideration certain tentative proposals which have been formulated as a result of those discussions. It is understood that general reconnaissance aircraft are being obtained from the Lockheed aircraft corporation and comprise the latest standard type adapted for general reconnaissance duties, while advanced training machines are being purchased from North American Aviation (Incorp.) of Inglewood, California. The latter are the latest typo in production suitable for advanced training duties.

It will be recalled that the recommendations upon which the Government is acting were baaed on tests of various types on offer in the United States by British experts.

It is known, from statements made in recent air debates in the House of Commons and the House of Lords that the Government, under its air expansion programme, has given orders to the British aircraft industry for the production of certain types of bombers and lighters in very large quantities, and the policy of going overseas for the supply of general reconnaissance and training types also required is dictated by desirability of not interrupting the flow of production at Home.