DOUBTS ABOUT BRITAIN’S JET PLANE PROGRESS

Grey River Argus, 24 March 1949, Page 3

DOUBTS ABOUT BRITAIN’S JET PLANE PROGRESS

(N.Z.P.A. Special Correspondent) LONDON, March 21.

Commenting on the statement by tlie Secretary of Stale for Air (Mr Arthur Henderson) thr T t the jet lighter force of the Roy ,1 Air Force is to be doubled during the current year, the air correspondent of tlie Sunday Express states: “At the time of the Battle of Britain we had 52 squadrons, for home defence, of which ten were auxiliaries. To-dav I believe, we have less than half that number of Royal Air Force day and night fighter squadrons in the United Kingdom.

“At present what squadrons we have are at half establishment, each can put up six aeroplanes. Mr Henderson’s statement indicates that by the end of this year they will be up to full establishment and will be able to lly 12 aeroplanes with at least six more in reserve”. “We also have 20 auxiliary squadrons manned by some of the most battle-experienced pilots in the kingdom. Only two or three of these squadrons have even begun to reequip with jet aeroplanes. Their present equipment is entirely obsolete. And it seems certain that they will not be re-equipped before many of the uresent generation of wartrained auxiliary pilots have grown too old for the iob. Yet this is a terrifying fact. Hundreds of our jet lighters have been sold abroad”.