SECRET BOMBER

Auckland Star, Volume LXXII, Issue 170, 21 July 1941, Page 8

SECRET BOMBER

AUSTRALIAN BU*LT

FIRST TESTS SHCHTLY

<0.C.) SYDNEY. July 16. In a few weeks Australia's new secret bomber will be "iven its first tests. The bomber, which has been nicknamed the "Wackett Wonder" after its designer. Wing Commander Wackett. manner of the Commonwealth Airc-aft Co. ration, Melbourne. will be more heavily armed than any other plane of the type in the world, and yet will be extremely fast. The actual speed is a secret, but is r xpected to be about 350 m r> h. Tn addition to machine guns cop-'ile of firing in any direction, the bomber will ca' ry two cannon. It will be i _>wcrcd by two twin row Piatt Vvhitney engines imported from America, pending manufacture of them at the new works in Lidcombe, Sydney. Employees who have been working on the new bomber hope to have it in mass production before the Beauforts, only one of which, assembled from imported parts, has yet taken the air.

It was announced this week that Australia will receive millions of pounds worth of war equipment machine tools and raw materials from America under the Lease-or-Lend Act. Negotiations are proceeding for additional ships to be diverted to the Australian run to enable these war supplies to be brought here Australia has already ordered from tne U.S.A. a large number of cruiser tanks and 1200 Cadillac engines to power the first tanks made in Australia until the Commonwealth begins making tank engines also.

B igures released this week by the Supply Minister, Senator Mcßride indicate the colossal scale on which military supplies, as distinct from munitions and weapons, are being produced in Australia. Orders for personal equipment during one period inch'ded 1,250.000 water-bottle the rate of 40.000 weekly: 5/0,000 hats (20,000 weekly); 4 000 000 pairs of boots; 2,580.000 pairs' of drawers (97,000); 2,682 000 vest* r> 1 ? 00000 socks <177.000); 2, / 68,000 pullovers (75.000); 1 040 000 uniforms (37,084); 651,000 greatcoats (23.314); and 965,000 towels (25.000). Only a small section of food orders f V or P , Jul -V to December, 1940 included: 14,000.000 one-pound tins of sausages, 36,000.000 tins of condensed milk, 6,040,0001b of tinned cheese 4 480,0001b baked beans, 14 784 0001b of canned beef.