R.A.F. EXPANSION

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 12, 29 January 1937, Page 5

R.A.F. EXPANSION

(British Official Wireless.)

Deficiency of Planes Being Overtaken MINISTER'S REVIEW / •

(Received 29, 12.25 p.m.) RUGBY, Jan. 28. The Minister for the Co-ordination of Defence, Sir Tlfomas Inskip, gave the House of Commtms an outline of the progress so far made with Britain's rearmament programme in relation to air defence. He recalled that in the years 1930 to 1934 the average number of airframes" and engines was round about 700 or 750 for the whole year for the Royal Air Force; these numbers were only a fraction of what was required in the annual output under the present programme. The present position was that 87 squadrons had been formed, 13 of which were etill on a one-flight basis; the other squadrons were over-strength in personnei with a sufficient number of aircraft for training purposes. He anticipated that 100 squadrons would be formed by the end of March, of which 22 would be on a one-flight basis. If expectations were fulfilled a further 24 squadrons would be completed by July. He estimated that there had been a lag of three or four months on the original schedule but line production was on a slowly rising scale and would become steeper as the months went by. He expressed the view that, as problems were solved, the programme would be fully attained and maintained.