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Aviation History
1929
1929 - 0454.PDF
Sih against air attack is costing him and the likes of him nearly 16| millions. An analysis of the figures should make it clear to him that he is not receiving the degree of protection which he fondly hopes, and that he is not paying as much for it as he fears. Some of his 16 millions is actually going not to air defence but to military defence. Of course, -the really intelligent citizen will recog- nise that the total sum includes the cost of the K.A.F. overseas and of commercial flying, but even so, the figures as presented will not give him a true picture of the situation. He may cut out from his calcula- tions the strength and the cost of the R.A.F. commands overseas, but still the Coastal Area and the Inland Area are mysteries not easily to be understanded of the people. The sound sleep o' nights of the citizen depends entirely on the strength of the command known as Air Defences of Great Britain, and this ought to be made clear to him. Administratively and financially the Fleet Air Arm, which is part of the Coastal Area, is part of the Royal Air Force, but it adds practically nothing to air defence. Its work is to assist in naval defence, and in time of war its services, rightly, are not at the beck and call of the Air Ministry but of the Admiralty. More- over, the Admiralty foots the bill, which again is as it should be. Likewise, the Inland Area administers MARCH 7, 1929 To this total, Sir Samuel Hoare proposes to add during the present year : one regular squadron, one cadre squadron, and three A.A.F. squadrons, bringing our total defence up to 38 squadrons. We may presume that the regular squadron will be a bombing squadron, and that the cadre squadron will belong to the Special Reserve. All five may therefore be bombing squadrons, which is sound policy. About the commercial flying provisions we have no criticisms to make. All the steps taken are sound so far as they go. We look forward to the opening of a direct air service to India, and hope that others to South Africa and Australia, whether by aeroplane, or by airship, will follow shortly. In commenting upon Vote 8 (Civil Aviation) the Secretary of State for Air is not very explicit. He does mention, it is true, that out of the £349,(XX) set aside to cover subsidies, £40,000 represents " the purchase price of two aircraft belonging to the Air Ministry which have been sold to the company for use on the trans-Mediterranean section of the route," but there is no mention of the actual amount which has been earmarked for the purchase of new experimental types of improved commercial aircraft. Elsewhere (in the section dealing with Research and Technical Development) Sir Samuel Hoare states that " the programme includes provision for a number of five army co-operation squadrons, which also add new experimental types of both civil and Service «-«.«A:«_II.. i.i_: .•__ _:_ J_X TL.:. ....—1. :„ „ aircraft " Vint +Vip>rp ic r»fi wav of fmdinp' out whatpractically nothing to air defence. Their work is a part of military defence. It would only be just if the War Office were to bear the full cost of these squadrons, and also of the School of Military Co-opera- tion. The inclusion of these units and their cost in the Air Estimates makes for confusion of thought. It does more than that. It tends to camouflage the appalling weakness of the army in the air. Five squadrons equipped with Atlas or Bristol Fighter aeroplanes is a parlously small air arm for the army. On army manoeuvres it is possible for Air Defences of Great Britain to lend the army a few squadrons of lighters and bombers ; but in time of war such a proceeding would be quite out of the question. Then, unprotected against the attack of enemy fighters, these live squadrons would speedily be shot down, and the army would be left blind, this very unpala- table truth could only be brought home to the tax- payer if the army co-operation squadrons were shown in Estimate? as part of military strength (which they are), and not as part of air strength, which they are not. If the Air League would take up this point, it might do some really useful work. The actual provision for air defence is as follows :— Wessex Bombing Area .. 11 bombing squadrons.No. 1 Air Defence Group .. 8 bombing squadrons. Fighting Area .. .. .. 12 fighter squadrons.Inland Area (special duty units) 2 bombing squadrons. Total 33 squadrons. These figures presume that cadre squadrons can rapidly be brought up to full strength, and they pay no regard in the communication squadron or to odd flights, such as the night-flying flight. They also presume that the two squadrons at Martlesham production of a new aircraft type, this is as it should aircraft," but there s no way o finding t what percentage is civil and what Service. Under Vote 3 (Technical and Warlike Stores) it is seen that there is an increase, on sub-head A (aero- planes, seaplanes, engines and spares) of £641,(XX), although on Vote 3 as a whole the net increase is but £18,000. Presumably, the increase on sub- head A is, at least in part, accounted for by the provision, mentioned in the memorandum, for putting in hand the re-equipment, with aircraft of the latest design, of nineteen squadrons, including two in India. This re-equipment is long overdue, and it is good news to learn that at last a serious effort is to be made to equip the R.A.F. with up-to- date aircraft. Details of sub-head A of Vote 3 show that a sum <>1 £3,375,000 is set aside for complete aircraft. If it is assumed that the average cost is £10,000 \x-r machine, this sum will only buy about 338 machines, which is not a very imposing number. Looked at in another way, assuming that there are 20 aircraft firms, and that the orders are evenly divided (which they will not be), each of the 20 firms will receive orders to the extent of £168,750, which, in view of the national importance of the aviation industry, is hardly an excessive figure. For complete engines a sum of £1,910,000 has been set aside. As, so far as Government orders are concerned, there are but four engine firms, it would appear that these four will, on an average, do letter than the aircraft firms, and that if the orders were evenly divided, each linn would receive orders to the extent of £477,500. As the. development of new aeio engines is a much more expensive affair than the would be made available for defence in time of war. be. ••••••••••••••• Mediterranean Fleet THE aircraft-carrier Eagle and the cruiser Danae areordered to return to England shortly after the conclusion of the combined fleet exercises, the former to refit and recom- replaced in the Fleet by the new cruiser Sussex. The Eagle,Capt. N. F. Laurence, D.S.O., is to leave Gibraltar on March 31, to call at Portsmouth on April 5, and to anive at Devon-port on April 16. The Danae, Capt. W. B Mackenzie, will mission and the latter to pay off for large repairs on being leave Gibraltar on April 1 and arrive at Chatham on April 6 — 178
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