AIR DEFENCE

Evening Post, Volume CXXIII, Issue 41, 18 February 1937, Page 9

AIR DEFENCE

LAG IN PROGRAMME

NO BLAME ON ANYONE

BRITAIN'S POLICY

(From "The Post's" Representative.) LONDON, January 30.

A time lag of four months in the Government's air defence programme was admitted by Sir Thomas 'Inskip, Minister for Co-ordination of Defence, in the House of Commons this we£k. ' The basis of the Government's policy is the "erection of a great reserve of aircraft" and the "increase of striking power" in increased efficiency. The building has been a slow and laborious process, and the Minister admitted, "without apologetics of self-excuses," that there have been delays. For one thing, he said, the aircraft companies under-estimated the difficulty of large-scale- production. . For another, skilled men and machine tools were difficult to obtain. For a third, the Ministry had insisted on the production of the.best new types and on the longest possible period of training ■ for the new pilots. As a result of these factors, the programme would be 24 squadrons behind schedule on March 31. No one was to blame. The first feature of the scheme was the erection of a great reserve of aircraft and, secondly, an increase in striking power not merely by replacing light bombers with medium bombers, but also, and still more, by the decision to re-arm the bomber squadron to their new establishment with new machines of greater power, greater load-carrying capacity, and greater range. Delays had undoubtedly taken place, but those were delays in reference to the plan which the Government had laid down for the completion of this scheme. HIVING OFF PRINCIPLE. Sir Thomas said that he had been given the latest information, which showed that 87 squadrons had been formed. Thirteen of them were still on a one-flight basis. The method of forming a squadron was to hive off a flight and gradually add men and aircraft to the new squadron, so as to bring it in due course to its proper complement. Others of these new squadrons were over strength in personnel and with a sufficient number of aircraft for training purposes. "It is anticipated," Sir Thomas said, "that 100 squadrons will have been formed by the end of March. Of these 100 squadrons 22 will be on a oneflight basis and in process of being developed into fully-equipped and manned squadrons." He was a little hesitant about giving dates about the other 20 or 24 squadrons necessary to. bring up the number to 124, but, if expectations were fulfilled, at any rate 20 of them would be completed, by July this year. ' There were three main reasons for the three or four months' lag between promise and performance. He had not a word to say in reproach of the aircraft firms. They, however, underestimated the difficulties of large-scale production. To produce new machines under large-scale production was a very different thing from producing under the leisurely conditions which existed before expansion began. All the Government's plans were based on the estimates and statements of the manufacturers themselves. Orders were given that were best designed to produce satisfactory types of machines at the earliest date. But this was a time of rapid changes in aeronautical technique, which was illustrated by the change from biplane to monoplane. Another difficulty was that of getting skilled craftsmen, labour, and machine tools, for which the manufacturers were not to blame. DESIGNS ALL OF THE LATEST. The Government had not been wrong in the way they placed orders for new machines while they had been still in the stage of design. They might have followed the old method of producing a prototype, testing it, and then beginning production. The Government deliberately adopted the other plan of "taking the new machines off the drawing board," and experience showed the wisdom of it. In spite of the delays that had "occurred they were still a long way ahead of the schedule that would have resulted if the old system had been followed. "As to the suggestion that has been made," proceeded Sir Thomas, "that we should buy foreign machines, that has been considered most fully, but the time in which they could be obtained would be no quicker than if we obtained them by using our own resources. There would be serious technical disadvantages without any gain in point of time. "We all earnestly long for the general settlement by which peace and security may be assured to us and to all countries alike, but until this time comes—and we hope it may be soon —we hold ourselves bound to arm, and we shall continue while it is1 necessary with all the vast resources of this undefeated country to arm in defence of our country and peace."