France re-examines aircraft industry

Press, Volume CXIV, Issue 33454, 8 February 1974, Page 9

France re-examines aircraft industry

7..P.A.'Reuter—Copyright) PARIS, February 6. Fiance is making' a reappraisal of her aircraft industry which could lead to modifications to the Concorde.

The Prime Minister (Mrl Messmer) has called a meeting of his Ministers of Transport, Labour, Finance, Defence, and Foreign Affairs for next Thursday, for talks as a prelude to discussions between Britain and France on the future of the Concorde. A report made for the Government by an engineering expert, Mr Rene Bloch, head of the rocket-testing centre in the Landes area of south-west France, is said to be highly critical of the present. design of the supersonic airliner, and there is speculation that its production rate may be halved to four a year, and that the British and French Governments will not go beyond the 16 aircraft now under construction. The metal workers’ union in the Communist-led General Confederation of Labour today accused Mr Pompidou’s Government of “capitulating in the face of United States pressure.” “Bloch’s report is being kept secret because it recommends the abandonment of the British-French project in

favour of a super-Concorde j under American-design lea-1 dership,” the union alleged in! a statement. France has asked the United States to participate in the construction of a successor to the Concorde: the proposal was made by President Pompidou to President Nixon during their meeting at Reykjavik, Iceland, last June. French officials maintain that a market would exist by 1985 for a super-Concorde with improved performance, profitability, and less noise. The French Minister of Transport (Mr Yves Guena), who is due to meet the British Minister for Aerospace; (Mr Michael Heseltine) next; month, says that while additional fuel tanks will extend! the Concorde’s range to allow flights from Frankfurt, to New York, and from Dallas-Fort Worth to Lima, such a modification would be very expensive, costing perhaps as much as SNZ6Om, and would [take the aircraft’s total development bill well above the SNZI,S97m authorised by the | British and French GovernIntents.