ROYAL AIR FORCE

Evening Post, Volume CXXII, Issue 99, 23 October 1936, Page 8

ROYAL AIR FORCE

PROGRESS IN EXPANSION

(From "The Post's" Representative.) LONDON, September 19.

Twenty-six new squadrons—twentythree in the regular service and three auxiliary—have been ■ added to the strength of the Royal Air Force, under the terms of the expansion plan announced by the Government in May, 1936. Forty-five more units must be added to bring up the strength of the Metropolitan Air Force to the 123 squadrons then proposed. A further extension of 129 squadrons, backed by full war reserves and representing a vast augmentation of the striking power of the Service, was outlined in the White Paper on Defence last March.

Bombing" squadrons , predominate among the units formed up to the present. Eighteen new squadrons—fifteen regular and three auxiliary—are equipped with bombing aircraft, and five regular squadrons with fighters. Three squadrons of the new "general reconnaissance" category are now in being. Seven squadrons—flying twinengined landplanes—will be employed ultimately on coastal patrol and reconnaissance at distances from the shores of Britain up to several hundreds of miles, thus in effect pushing out Britain's frontier in the air much farther than her coastline, which is perilously near the capital and other vital centres of the national life. , Sites for no fewer than 40 new Royal Air Force stations have been acquired. On 32 of them the erection of buildings and the levelling of the sites are well under way. . Thirteen special civil flying training schools, where initial tuition for young R.A.F. pilots is given, have been' created. Contracts for the same number of training centres for. the new R.A.F. Volunteer Reserve are being placed. Men. are joining the Service in satisfactory numbers and quality. Lord Swinton, Secretary of State for Air, states that between April, 1935, and the end of March this year the Force has taken on 940 pilots and just under 15,000 airmen. Since April 1 another 900 pilots and large numbers of airmen have joined. A monthly intake of 500 aircraft hands is still required; 150 of each monthly entry will go for training as armourets and radio operators, and the balance of 350 will be' employed on general dutiea. ' ' ' ■ J