FRENCH AIR FORCE.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume XLII, Issue XLII, 13 August 1923, Page 4

FRENCH AIR FORCE.

PLANNING TWO THOUSAND NEW : MACHINES. . France, it has' become known, has now in hand an air programme which, in two years' time, will give her slight-. ly more than 2000 modern war aeroplanes, most of them metal-built, writes the aeronautical correspondent of the Daily Chronicle. By the end of this year Italy aims to have about 1000 machines, while Britain will have about 600. If Britain is to keep pace with this race in aerial armaments, we shall have to increase the present £12,000,----000 expenditure on the air to a total of about £30,000,000. With post-war ground organisation for the Air Force so well and truly laid, England is in a position now to obtain practicaly a four-fold increase in aeroplane strength with an expenditure which would not quite double what is being incurred to-day. At present our 35 air squadrons are costing us about £474.000 each. . When we have 52 squadrons the cost per squadron will drop to roughly £331,000. One of the most significant features in the new air armament programmes is the expansion determined upon by the Russian Soviet Government. They have, according to the latest information, more than a dozen great air factories in operation, including one very large establishment in the neighbourhood of Moscow. Probably • the most important technical development of the day is the work to perfect the all-metal machine. The progress which has already been made is making air strategists alter all their notions as to how long a big bombing 'plane.can stay in the air and how far it nan fly, heavily laden with deadly missiles. Already the French air authorities are experimenting ~ with a metal bomber, which will fly 1000 ' miles to drop its bombs and" then return. Raiding machines are in design which will fly as far again.