Amazing Progress In The Air

Bay of Plenty Times, Volume LXXVII, Issue 14928, 16 March 1949, Page 3

Amazing Progress In The Air

500 M.P.H. Jet Bombers

Ordered

Jet Fighter Force Being

Doubled

London, March 15

News about the British plans for jet bombers was given in the House of Commons today by the Secretary for Air. Mr Arthur Henderson, when presenting the Air estimates. Orders had been placed, he said, for twin-jet bombers to fly at 500 mi'les an hour —twice as fast as the Lincoln.

Still more revolutionary types would come later, but they had

already made a great step towards recovering Britain s technical lead in bombers as well as fighters. Mr Henderson said Britain's jet fighter force was being doubled, and this process would be completed by the middle of next year. By this time, too, the re-equippi'ng of day fighter squadrons, overseas with jets would also be completed. The latest Meteor and Vampire jet fighters were the finest in service,

but types now being delivered were much in advance of these, as they were of the first jets.

A jet night fighter was also being developed. The long-range Coastal., Command Shackletcn aircraft had*;, now made its first flight. The De Havilland Ai'rcraft Company in London has announced that Vampire jet fighters are to be built in France. They say this represents a further important step in the standardisation of defence equipment for Western Europe. An Air correspondent says some th* new French Vampires will have Rolls Royce engines, which are already bei'ng made in France.