R.A.F. Has No Modern Planes

Chronicle (Levin), 16 February 1949, Page 5

R.A.F. Has No Modern Planes

Eeceived Tuesday, 7 p.m. LONDON, Feb. 15. Lack of modern aircraft and other cquipnieut for the E.A.F., is now causing the Air staff ituich anxiety as the shortage of skilled mechanics, says Ihe JDaily Teiegra])ii's aviation coiTes]ioii(ient. The Oovernmcnt for four years gandiled on an improvement

in the international ontlook which would ohviate the need for spending more utoney on defenee. Olose secrecy about British armaments was intended to hide defenee deficiencies froin foreign Oovernments and possihle critics at home. Meauwhile the E.A.F. has been so starved for men and materials that its bones are sticking through its skin. It has become a skeleton that no cupb'oard can conceal. In May 1946 the Controller of Air Supplies at the Snpply Ministry, Air Marshall Sir Alec Cory- , ton, stated that the only future fighters and bombers of interest to i the E.A.F. were those with jet engines. Nearly three years have (

passed yet not a single type of postwar Jet aircraft is in production for the E.A.F. The British aircraft industry has built at least five profotype jet fighters and two jet bombers. The majority of Fighter Oommand's regular homebased squadrons are equipped with the latest (Uoster Meteor or do llavilland Vampires, jet fighters dovel opo d during the wa'r, whi?*h are not an effeetive defenee: against bombers. They cannot cariy bulky radar eiiuipment.

E.A.F. regular fighter squadrons overseas are still using ohsolescent piston-engined planes, the corrcspondent says. These are not fast enough to intercept jet bombers and no match for enehiy jet fighters. If it were deeided tomorrow to rearm the E.A.F. with modern postwar planes, there could bo no quantity output from British factories for at least tw.o years. New planes for the British and Dominion Air Forces may have to be provided from the United States! )r Commoiiwealth factories.