R.A.F. To Get 400 U.S. Planes

Northern Advocate, 11 June 1938, Page 5

R.A.F. To Get 400 U.S. Planes

[British Official Wireless .l (Received 10 a.m.) RUGBY, June 9

The Air Ministry announces that the Government has given consideration to the report of the air mission, which recently visited the United States and Canada, and which was instructed to inquire, primarily, into the possibility of purchases, for early delivery, of aircraft with certain special characteristics. A considerable number of proposals were made, not all of which fulfilled the conditions above referred to, and eventually the mission recommended that negotiations should be entered into with two firrps in the United States for a total of 400 aircraft.

The Government accepted this recommendation and contracts have now been negotiated for 200 aircraft for general reconnaissance, and 200 for advanced training duties.

The mission also pursued discussions with firms in Canada as to the possibility of bringing into being increased capacity in that country for the manufacture of aircraft on a longrange plan. The Government has under consideration certain tentative proposals which have been formulated as a result of those discussions.

It is understood that general reconnaissance aircraft are being obtained from the Lockheed Aircraft Corporation and comprise the latest standard type adapted for general reconnaissance duties, while advanced training machines are being purchased from North American Aviation (Incorp.), of Inglewood, California. The latter are the latest type in production suitable for advanced training duties. It will be recalled that the recommendations upon which the Government is acting were based on tests of various types on offer in the United States by British experts. It is known, from statements made in recent air debates in the House of Commons and the House of Lords that the Government, under its air expansion programme, has given orders to the British aircraft industry for the production of certain types of bombers and fighters in very large quantities, and the policy of going overseas for the supply of general reconnaissance and training types also required is dictated by the desirability of not interrupting the flow of production at Home. •