NOTES ON THE WAR NEWS

Evening Post, Volume CXXXI, Issue 41, 18 February 1941, Page 8

NOTES ON THE WAR NEWS

BRITISH AIR POWER

NEW TYPES OF PLANES

PREPARING FOR SPRING

Various references have been made to new aeroplane' types which Britain will be using in her war against the Axis * this year, but the information published, has mostly been unofficial and its accuracy cannot be guaranteed. However, some interesting things have come to light, and they indicate that British designers and builders have been pushing on to new achievements, i A description of British aircraft which are still on the secret list was published by the American technical journal "Flying and Popular Aviation" three months ago, and'jcausedj much discussion in England. After some time the principal facts, were reproduced in the British Press. They indicate that the Air Ministry has been preparing a completely . new line of combat. planes to supplant the Hurricane and Spitfire fighters and the Wellington and Whitley bombers. New Planes Mentioned. Four new types are mentioned in some detail. They are the Hawker Tornado and Westland Whirlwind fighters, and the Avro Manchester and Short Stirling bombersi In addition it is stated that the Vickers Wellington, the Handley Page Harnpden, and Armstrong Whitworth Whitley have been "beefed-up" and re-engined, the Wellington and Whitley with 2000 h.p! motors instead of the previous 1000 h.p. motors. Confirmation of this, at least in part, came when- the British censorship passed a dispatch describing the visit of neutral journalists to the Armstrong Whitworth plant and mentioning the 2000 h.p., engines. The Hawker Tornado is said to be a single-seater fighter powered by a 2000 h.p., Rolls-Royce Vulture engine and capable of a speed of about 425 m.p.h. The Westland Whirlwind is reported to be a twin-engined ship, driven by Rolls-Royce Merlin engines and able to do just over 400 m.p.h. The Ayro Manchester is a twin-engined bomber driven by Vulture engines at '325 m.p.h. and the Short Stirling is a four-engined bomber. This much was known about the Short Stirling previously, for the Air Ministry released a drawing of the plane, which is a huge one, some months ago. | It is also reported, though confirma- ■' tion is lacking, that Vickers-Super-marine have developed a small singleseat fighter powered with the Griffin engine, which is descended from the racing engines used in the Schneider Cup planes. Number in Service. How many of the planes are ready for service is unknown: It ywas reported at the end of last year that enough were available to equip about 20 squadrons—about 400 planes in all. Not many Whirlwinds are'said to have come off the production line and last month no Manchester squadrons were known to have been , formed. The newly-engined Wellingtons, Hampdens, and Whitleys, however, should be available in quantity, as the first models were tested in November. The visitors to the Whitley plant, mentioned above, described the new big bombers as rolling ou;- at a fast pace. The Stirling is said to be somewhere about the prototype stage. * The only armament known in detail is that of the Tornado, and that is impressive. It is said to be eight machine-guns and three 20-millimetre cannon. The Whirlwind is said to carry a power-operated turret. Its primary mission is to be the countering of Germany's twin-engined Messerschmitt 110. ,- Increased Speed. The changes in the older planes are reported to have stepped up the speed of the Wellington from 265 m.p.h. to more than 325 m.p.h. The re-engined Whitley has a speed of about 300 m.p.h., it-is said, and the speed of the new Hampden is 340 m.p.h. with 2000 h.p. engines and 310 with 1600 ■ h.p. plants. ■ ~ ' At the same time the Royal Air Force is receiving new aircraft from the United States, including some of the most advanced designs in existence. The list of new models from over the Atlantic includes fourengined bombers with tricycle undercarriages, twin-engined fighters, coastal reconnaissance planes with the new "thin" wing, single-seater fighters with shaft drive, and Fleet Air Arm planes. On the list of fighters are the Curtiss Tomahawk, the Lockheed P-38, the Bell Airacobra, and this Grumman G-36. The Tomahawk carries six machine-guns, four in the wings and two in the fuselage. All fire directly forward on- the line of flight. The top speed is said to be 360 m.p.h. and four Tomahawks a day are now being delivered to Britain, according to report. A Fast Fighter. The Lockheed P-38 is a twin-engined, twin-tail-boom machine with tricycle undercarriage, built by the firm which gave the R.A.F. Coastal Command its favourite ship—the Hudson. Its top speed is said to be over 400 m.p.h., and some statements credit it with 450 m.p.h. It is therefore equal to the best European types for speed. The Airacobra has received much publicity because of its unusual design, and about 1600 machines are being built, of which Britain is 'expected to take 800. The engine is behind the pilot, it has cockpit armour, and it carries seven guns. There is also a special long-range, tank which'can be jettisoned in flight, and which increases the range to 900 miles. The guns are of three different sizes and one of them is a large cannon with 60 explosive shells. The Grunman G-36 is a deck-flying fighter with a top speed of 325 miles an hour, and is fitted with a 1000 h.p. Wright Cyclone engine. A Powerful Bomber. The most important craft which has been sent to Britain for counter-blows at the Reich is the Consolidated B-24 bomber, the huge plane which the Americans consider their best machine and which was sold even before the export of the "Flying Fortress" was approved. It was described in this column >at the time as probably more powerful than the more famous "Flying Fortress." Its official range is 3000 miles but it is known to be able to do much more than this, and it can carry 80001b of bombs. It is powered with four 1200 h.p. Pratt and Whitney engines. %

Another new ship which is in Britain is the Douglas DB-7A, a higherpowered version oi the 825 m.p.h.

bomber built for the French, while the Boeing B-17, and. the new Martin 'attack bomber (the B-26, which has a. range of about 1000 miles, is powered with two 1850 h.p. Pratt'and Whitney engines and can do more than 3Q§ m.p.h.') should be delivered soon. " The last mentioned would be ,a useful weapon against the invasion porti, ,