“Still A Long Way From Push-Button Warfare”

Press, Volume CI, Issue 29716, 9 January 1962, Page 9

“Still A Long Way From Push-Button Warfare”

(New Zealand Press Association)

WELLINGTON, January 8 "The days of manned aircraft will not be over for many years to come,” said Air Marshal Sir Douglas Jackman, who arrived at Wellington today on a round-the-world trip in the Southern Cross. "We have a long way to go before we actually reach push-button warfare, but if progress goes on at its oresent rat® the Royal Air Force will have reached a large measure of automation by the 1970'5" he said Sir Douglas Jackman. who retired in April, 1980, was Commander-in-Chief. Maintenance Command, and spent the whole of the Second World War in the Middle East, His work involved campaign planning and in this capacity he served in Turkey,

Syria, Greece Palestine and Russia. When the Allies landed In North Africa he was with Lord Tedder as assistant i officer in charge of admini- ■ stration. “Large-scale bombing raids i are a thing of the past,’’ he said. “Aircraft in future will i not go near a target but will i launch stand-off bombs from ' perhaps a distance of 300 l miles away. I “The Royal Air Force today : is undoubtedly far superior to what it was in 1938 and is more prepared. There is a > strong link up between i Britain and the United States in both scientific and tecbni- ■ cal fields ” I Sir Douglas Jackman also > said that many of the technical advances made in the ■ development of the Blue i Streak guided missile would be used in space exploration.