NEW R.A.F. PLANES

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 3, Issue 269, 10 February 1941, Page 6

NEW R.A.F. PLANES

MORE SPEED AND GUNFIRE

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New types oT English and American lighting aircraft Avill soon be as

familiar in the news as the famous Supermarine Spitfire. Hawker Hurricane, Short Sur.deriand, Blenheim, Wellington, Hampden, Curtiss Hawk Lockheed Hudson, and others. Their appearance will indicate the implementation of tin? biggest British aircraft production drive of the Avar, and President Roosevelt's determination to follow up his "fireside" broadcast to the United States with far-reaching moves to intensify aid to the Allies.

Benefitting from practical experience in the first 15 months of war Britain has not neglected the un-

provement of existing fighter, bomber and reconnaissance types, and the designing of new machines, and, as United States production gets into full swing, a swarm of reinforcements will cross the Atlantic to join the fray. Of the new British lighter types, the Hawker Tornado is likely to be the most spectacular. Although its production has now been revealed officially for the first time it has been in preparation for about two years. Into it is packed the practical experience of the Hawlcer Company and the Royal Air Forcc with the Hurricane. Its 2000 horse-power Rolls Royce Vulture engine should "suck'" it along at a minimuin of 425 miles an hour. Armament will be an improvement on that of the eight-gun Hurricane, with a forward fire power of 10,000 rounds a minute. It wilt probably carry twelve. 1250 rounds a minute guns in the Avings, as well as a 20mm. cannon. The Westlancl Whirlwind twinengined fighter will fill the gap which caused the Blenheim bomber to be fitted as a fighter. Its Rolls Merlin engines, already well tried in Spitfires, Hurricanes, and other successful fighting machines, will give it a speed of more than 400 miles an hour—considerably in excess of that of the latest Nazi Me 110. Far-Reaching Mammoths. During recent months the Luftwaffe has been using four-engined bombers from bases in France t( raid Atlantic shipping sailing tc and from Britain. The R.A.F/S reply will be the Short Stirling— which was in the early stages production before the Avar began. It will be built in Canada.

Messrs Short Bros, have a reputa tion for building reliable aircraft-

such as the Sunderland "Flying Battleship" and the Empire flying boat. At first the Stirling, which is a land-plane, was intended as a passenger machine to throw down the gauntlet finally to Dutch, German and French competition oVef the Empire airline, and to reduce the flying time between Britain and Australia to four and a half days. Now, with huge fuel tanks, bombs and guns in place of passenger it will fly far out over the Atlantic to protect the shipping lanes from corsairs. The standard bombers of the Hoj 7 - al. Air Force have already been "pepped up" in speed and take-off with large loads by filling them with Rolls Royce Vuliure and Napier Sabre engines. The Wellingtons, Whitleys, and TTampdeus will, therefore, all have speeds in excess of 300 miles an hour.

Refinements to the Spitfire, such as improved engine output, streamlining, clipped wings, and a smooth-' er skin, are expected to living its speed up to iOO miles an hour. The latest type, with improved armament, will be known as the Mary TIT Spitfire. A new version of the Blenheim lighter-bomber. the Marie TV, will have better armament, and an additional 20 miles sui hour, bringing it into the 320mile-an-hour class.