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Aviation History
1937
1937 - 0086.PDF
34 FLIGHT. JANUARY 14, 1937. OF THE WORLD k A Fairey Swordfish and H.M.S. Eagle off Gibraltar. Part I.—Their Equipment Discussed : Aircraft and Carriers in Use To-day BY H. F. KING REPORTS of official wrangling over the destiny of the Fleet Air Arm have turned a spotlight on that most valuable service, so the time is opportune for a review of its equipment in comparison with that of foreign naval air services. Although on the face of things it may seem that in some respects we are lagging behind in the development of suitable equipment, the truth is that a number of potential replacement machines, now secret, will soon be making their appearance, and will doubtless prove as efficient in their own category as the outstanding proto types lately produced for shore-based units of the R.A.F. Undoubtedly the monoplane will be adopted for Fleet work on the same relative scale as for operations from land, and the vastly increased performance available from even- class of machine built to the completely modern formula (monoplane with v.p. airscrew, lift-increasing devices, retractable undercarriage, etc.) will have inevit able effects on tactics. Different Powers have different ideas on the types of aircraft necessary for work with a fleet, but all acknow ledge the desirability of spotting and reconnaissance machines, bombers, torpedo-carriers and fighters. In our own case, the Fleet Air Arm has no flying-boat squadrons, these being shore-based units under the jurisdiction of the Coastal Command of the R.A.F. Spotting and reconnaissance types are dearest to the heart of our own Navy because they assist in the conduct of the established mode of naval warfare. Bombers and torpedo-carriers represent the Air Power which, if not pronouncing the doom of the capital ship as many would have us believe, is bringing about great changes in tactics and equipment. The fighter, although capable of offensive action against warships, is intended primarily for the pro tection of aircraft undertaking specific "jobs of work. It is desirable, naturally, to keep the variety of carrier- based aircraft as small as possible, and in the past the development of versatile machines capable of performinfi The American naval machines in the author's drawing opposite are :—(1) Curtiss SOC-i scout-observation ; (2) Grumman SF-i scout (similar to FF-i fighter) ; (3) Vought SBU-i scout-bomber ; (4) Douglas XTBD-i torpedo-bomber ; (5) Curtiss BF2C-1 bomber-fighter ; and (6) Vought XSB2U-I.
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