NEW RUSSIAN PLANES

Press, Volume XCI, Issue 27666, 24 May 1955, Page 13

NEW RUSSIAN PLANES

“Americans Should Be Shocked” WASHINGTON, May 22. The magazine “Aviation Week” said today that every American should be shocked by the growth of Soviet air power, and also by what appeared to be “a deliberate deception practised against them by some of the highest civilian officials in their government” in not disclosing what aeroplanes flew in the Moscow air show in late April and early this month. “Aviation Week’’ says that leading United States military officials are shocked by: The way Soviet progress has virtually wiped out the technical superiority formerly held by the United States. The lack of adequate intelligence on details of the Soviet air programme. The consistent misinterpretation of what intelligence has been available by the top civilian heads of the Government, who actually determine United States military policy. The magazine said that the Soviet Union has produced “several thousand” supersonic MIG-17 fighters compared with the “several hundred” comparable F-100 Super Sabre jets made by the United States. It also said that the Soviet has made at least 50 1000-mile-an-hour day fighters. . The United States has about 1500 B-47 medium bombers compared with at least 50 comparable Russian T-39’s, it adds. The United States has about 30 B-52 inter-continental jet bombers while Russia has at least 10 comparable T-37 types.