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Aviation History
1952
1952 - 2024.PDF
94 FLIGHT, 25 July 1952 NATO GETS DOWN TO IT . . . placed by contracting officers of the American Services, provide for production up to the end of 1955; when they have been fulfilled defence material to the value of £214m will be distributed to the 14 NATO countries by the Mutual Security Agency and the remaining £3om will be retained to supply American units. France has the largest share of these contracts—£119,642,000— which is understandable, for she has the largest untapped reserve of industry. Italy is committed to the tune of £46,071,000, Britain to £24,642,000, Belgium to £16,428,000 and the Nether lands to £13,571,000. Nearly all these orders were placed in the last days of June of this year. We have said that the British aircraft industry will be affected more than any other by this programme, yet the British share of these dollar orders is not by any means the largest. This is explained by the significant fact that, where aircraft are concerned, nearly all the production envisaged will be of types of British design, while the fact that British aircraft manufacturers are already working at full pressure—or near it—precludes the acceptance by them of additional orders, even for dollars. Thus we are faced with another unprecedented situation—the British aircraft industry competing for dollar orders with Continental firms producing British aeroplanes under licence. We have, in the past, granted many licences to foreign firms for the production of British aircraft and engines; additionally, there have been many tentative discussions in recent months upon the feasibility of our farming out certain sub-contract work to Euro pean manufacturers to ease pressure within our own industry and to fill available, and now idle, capacity in overseas plants —particularly in Italy. The gradually worsening British balance of payments had all but ruled out this latter possibility, but now that dollar finance is available there is every hope that all the discussed proposals will be implemented. In any event, it is heartening to record the establishment of numerous production programmes in the aircraft factories of Western Europe, based not upon a series of airy, hopeful "targets" but upon the exact available industrial potential, and soundly financed. This can hardly fail to be of the greatest significance, not only upon the defensive strength of the West but also upon the economic and industrial stability and morale of the affected countries. It wiU also serve to establish (and, in some cases, to re-establish) Britain as the major supplier of both aircraft designs and finished aircraft to Europe and the rest of the world. It should be profitable at this stage to examine the position which faces the industry of each of the NATO member-nations. NATIONAL PRODUCTION PROGRAMMES U.S.A.—The American aircraft industry has never before been in a better position; the present backlog of firm orders runs into many billions of dollars and is growing as fast as deliveries can be made. Labour-growth continues at an impressive rate, not withstanding the present severe shortage of graduate technicians. Materials, although carefully distributed on a rationing basis, are nowhere in a critical supply state. In short, the industry is healthy, and can accept new orders against reasonably firm delivery dates; unfortunately, American aircraft are more expensive than equivalent machines from elsewhere. Great Britain.—The economic state of this country should by now be well appreciated and it is responsible for the British aircraft industry having to take its turn with other consumers in the queue for vital raw materials, machine tools and skilled manpower, all of which are needed in far greater quantities than they can be supplied. But the prospects are gradually getting brighter. At the end of April, the total labour force had risen to 189,100—an increase of 12,100 since the end of 1951 and a rate of growth nearly equal to that-required for the desired increase of 50,000 by next March, as outlined recently by the Prime Minister. The shortage of skilled labour is still keenly felt, but careful sub-contracting, the building of housing estates and the super-priority scheme have combined to initiate a noticeable amelioration, The machine tool and material-supply position is still serious. These new NATO contracts cannot, of course, carry any additional hope for the supply of these items and the bids for these contracts can, therefore, only be made—with certainty—on the basis of the machine tools and raw material held at the present time. Nearly all orders for tools for the British rearmament programme were placed upwards of one year ago and the scale of our programme (for the R.A.F. and Naval Aviation only) is illustrated by the fact that the Hawker Siddeley Group placed machine-tool orders worth £2401 as long ago as May, 195 r. But these tools were ordered for the original British three-year programme; now that, like America, we have stretched out our re-arming over a longer period it may be that tools and even materials will gradually be available ahead of requirements. We are, at least, better off in these respects than any other European country. Much revenue has accrued from the sale of licences to overseas manufacturers of aircraft, and this is likely to continue on an increased scale under the NATO programme. But far greater return jwill be made from the supply of finished aircraft from British factories. And aircraft built against NATO orders will, presumably, have to be fitted into present British production lines. It has been pointed out that little responsibility will devolve upon the firms themselves, beyond a certain amount of reorganization of their schedules according to the direction of the M.o.S. As regards the "chosen instruments" with which Western Europe will be armed, it appears fairly obvious that the Hawker Hunter will be the most important single item in the programme. Dollar orders for the Hunter are likely to be placed for delivery to many NATO countries. Additionally, the Supermarine Swift and de Havilland Venom can be offered against fairly firm delivery dates and are considered likely runners. Canberra production by English Electric, Bristol, Short and Harland, Handley Page and (in America) the Glenn L. Martin company is considered to be quite sufficient as it is, while medium and heavy bomber produc tion hardly comes into the picture. The need is for fighters, and British fighters at that. All this means an even bigger demand for the Rolls-Royce Avon in all its versions. This vital engine is coming off the British assembly lines at a satisfactory rate, and new Avon plants are appearing at intervals. In fact, there has been a considerable amount of Avon stockpiling due to the inability of some manu facturers, through lack of manpower, to deliver airframes to schedule. It seems possible that Avons could be made available for "European" fighters without causing delay in home deliveries; Sapphire production, too, is likely to be able to meet the demands of the Gloster G.A.5 schedule and still have some left over. , The representative of the M.o.S. on the NATO committee is understood to have offered British production of the Hunter, Swift and Venom as direct dollar purchases with firm delivery, and without the need for close consultation with the British aircraft industry. Such is the effect of the "stretch-out" of the re-arming timetable over the next three years. France.—The big names here are Mistrale and Mystere; the former is the state-built Vampire-development, powered by a Hispano Nene, while the latter is a fine, all-swept fighter by Avions Dassault, likewise Nene-powered. It is uncertain, at present, what new airframe and what new engine will be NATO- produced in France; certainly a new engine is needed, and it will probably be British. Holland.—For several years, Fokkers have been turning out excellent Meteors, but, now that the last Mk 8 is already scheduled, the plant will soon (except for trainers) fall vacant. For some time, there has been a rumour that the Meteor will be followed by the Swift, and this is quite possible. Belgium.—The Fabrique Nationale has for long been turning out the Rolls-Royce Derwent for the Benelux Meteors. Now the factory have offered to tool-up for the Avon, with the possible Fokker-Swift in mind; this proposal, however, is understood to have been unfavourably received by Rolls-Royce, who at present are strongly opposed to the supplying of any foreign power with details of this engine. The original NATO council decision provided for any country to decide whether it could part with a secret design or not. Contracts worth $46m have already been placed in Belgium and this total will certainly be greatly exceeded shortly. Avions Fairey will soon taper-off Meteor production in favour of some thing else, and time will show which fighter it will be. Italy.—Already heavily committed to the de Havilland Venom, with its Ghost turbojet (the Venom is going into production by Fiat, Alfa-Romeo and Macchi, and the Ghost by Fiat and Alfa- Romeo), Italy appears likely to get the largest contract for Venom N.F.2S and Sea Venom N.F.20S for the NATO countries, although whether British production would tend to compete in this is uncertain. First British Venoms are about to be delivered, and the type is spread over numerous British firms, although not to the extent once foreseen. It is considered unlikely that Italy will be called upon to manufacture any aircraft of native design. Canada.—This already great aircraft-producing country is potentially the largest supplier of NATO aircraft, for her industrial capacity is rapidly assuming huge proportions, and the demands of Canada's own Services are small. The American-owned Canadair plant has already delivered several hundred Stars (F-86A and E Sabres) for the R.C.A.F., U.S.A.F., and the R.A.F., the newest of which will be Orenda-powered. To what extent Sabres will be delivered to NATO is not known; it is probable that the three Air Forces named will continue to be the only users of this fighter. For some two years, at least, it is unlikely that Canada will export many military aircraft, but the position should by then be very different. Other NATO countries.—These read as: Greece, Turkey, Norway, Denmark, Iceland, Luxemburg and Portugal. It is not likely that these countries will be called upon to equip their air forces with aircraft of their own manufacture for a number of years.
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