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Aviation History
1961
1961 - 0229.PDF
FLIGHT, 24 February 1961 229 SIKORSKY S-61D twin turbine, boat-hull helicopter for which an opiion-to-build has been granted to Weser Flugzeugbau G.m.b.H., of Bremen. There are rear-loading facilities as in the HR3S of the'US Marine Corps; engines would probably be D.H. Gnomes Lockheed Aircraft Corporation announces the appointment ofMv Richard L. Bean, formerly public relations director of the California Division, as manager of the New York office. He succeedsMr Erik Nelson, who becomes corporate regional director for Canada. Among those attending the 1961 Helicopter Association of Americaconvention, held recently at Haddonfield, NJ, were Mr Colin Cooper and Mr I. A. F. Donnelly of Helicopter Sales Ltd, British sales repre-sentatives for Hiller Aircraft. Mr Frederick Delves, who in 1956 left the technical staff of HandleyPage to join the Georgia division of Lockheed Aircraft, was recently named "Management Man-of-the-Year" by the 2,100-member Lock-heed management club, one of the largest organizations of its kind in the US. Referring to the article "Dunlop's Aviation Jubilee" (February 3),Dunlop Aviation Division ask us to make it clear that the mainwheels of the Beardmore Inflexible of 1928 were manufactured by them tothe designs of Mr W. S. Shackleton, who was Beardmore's chief designer at that time; he is now, of course, president of W. S. Shackleton(Aviation) Ltd. On April 10-11 Loughborough College of Technology is to hold asymposium on the applications of analogue computers. Details from Dr H. Buckingham, College of Technology, Loughborough, Leics. Next Monday, February 27, Aerocontacts Ltd and their associatedcompanies will sever their 14-year-old connection with Gatwick Airport by moving to larger premises at Gatwick House, two miles distant(Mr H. K. Hughes, DFC, the managing director, has chosen the name in order to perpetuate his own 22-year association with the airport,which was a fighter station during the war). The new telephone number is Horley 4455, and Telex service (8716) has been installed. ESTIMATING FOR DEFENCE FOUR significant documents have been made public by theGovernment. Appearing within a few days of one another, as is customary each year, they are the Report on Defence, andthe Navy, Army and Air Force Estimates. Points of aviation interest from the first-named, and from the Ministerial memorandaaccompanying the others, are summarized below. Report on Defence 1961: Britain's present contribution to the strategicnuclear deterrent is the V-bomber force, equipped with British free- falling nuclear bombs. The force has the capacity to penetrate to itsassigned targets, and its retaliatory capacity and efficiency are being constantly increased by wider dispersal and shorter reaction time. It isexpected that our main contribution to the Western deterrent over the next decade will be provided by weapons carried in aircraft. To counterprobable improvements in fighter and missile defences the Mk 2 V-bombers will be given an increasing stand-off capability over thisperiod. The missiles which carry the British-made warhead must be of such type and characteristics as will present the greatest diversity ofattack. From British and American sources it is hoped to provide a combination of methods. New types of aircraft for tactical and strategicroles will be able to make their attacks at very low levels. Britain already contributes Valiants and Canberras to NATO tactical forces.Navy Estimates 1961-1962, list four aircraft carriers as being in the operational fleet or preparing for service with it. They are HM ShipsArk Royal, Hermes, Victorious and Centaur. HMS Bulwark is listed as a commando carrier. Of the four first-mentioned vessels three willnormally be operational throughout the year and a fourth will be refitting. Tenders will be invited for two more guided-missile destroyers. Four arealready under construction. These ships are being armed with the Seaslug and Seacat anti-aircraft missiles and with 4.5in guns. They willbe thoroughly adaptable Fleet units with a good surface gunnery and bombardment capability, the latest submarine detecting devices, andanti-submarine weapons which will include a Wessex helicopter. The first of the class, HMS Devonshire, should complete by the spring of1962. A new system for the handling of information and the control ofweapons has been developed and will be incorporated in HMS Eagle during her present modernization. It makes full use of the latesttechniques in automation and will greatly increase the speed and accuracy of the ship's target handling.Trial firings of Seaslug during 1960 have proved it to be extremely effective. An improved Mk 2 version is being developed with evengreater range and speed to deal with aircraft likely to be encountered during the latter part of this decade. This version will be fitted in thetwo guided missile destroyers soon to be ordered. Seacat has been ship-fitted for sea trials, and firings of fully guided missiles againstdrone targets have started. An Intensive Flying Trials Unit for the Buccaneer will be formed before mid-summer this year to carry outservice trials. The first operational squadron is expected to form next year.The Wessex anti-submarine helicopter is still undergoing trials and development, but it is planned that the first front-line squadron willbe embarked in HMS Ark Royal in the autumn of 1961. A modified version is being considered to lift Royal Marine commandos from thecommando carriers. Its superior load-carrying canaciry would greatly increase the effectiveness of these ships. The Westland P.531 is alight torpedo-carrying helicopter with which it is planned to arm new Leander and Tribal Class frigates. Operating helicopters from frigateswill greatly increase the speed and range of attack from the frigate and represents a major advance in anti-submarine warfare. Productionhas started in this country of an American-designed lightweight anti- submarine torpedo of greatly improved performance, for use by heli-copters. This weapon is a significant advance on the air-dropped torpedoes at present in use, being lighter and faster to the target.Army Estimates 1961-1962: Deployment of Honest John in the Rhine Army is to be completed, making three composite regiments^ ofmissiles and 8in howitzers. New surveillance drones are to come into service in the Rhine Army for target acquisition. The experiment ofair trooping to Germany has been successful, and by October there is to be a complete change-over to it on this route. The Army is investi-gating "air-supported vehicles to increase mobility." Reference is made to "a small number [given in Flight for January 27 as 12] ofAlouette helicopters" coming into service. Air Estimates 1961-62: Handling and maintenance trials of Blue Steelunder service conditions are due to begin in the coming year. Subject to the successful completion of the development programme it isplanned to introduce Skybolt in the mid-1960s. Production weapons will be bought outright, will be carried by the Vulcan, and will befitted with British warheads. The Vulcan 2 armed with Skybolt will no longer have to penetrate enemy air defences to attack. Since thereaction time was demonstrated at Farnborough last September shorter times have been achieved. The current level of expenditure on thedeterrent, inclusive of the capital and running costs of the V-bomber force, its airfields, nuclear weapons and research and development,together with the running costs of Thor, represents about 10 per cent of the defence budget. Orders have been placed for a Lightning Mk 3 which will carry animproved air-to-air weapon. Deployment of Bloodhound 1 in this country will be completed during 1961-62; firings at Aberporth havedemonstrated the accuracy of the homing system and high lethality. Orders are being placed for Bloodhound 2, which will have a greadyincreased performance and will be air transportable. Work has begun on a new high-performance radar system which will include computersand data handling equipment needed for the interception of super- sonic aircraft. This system will also form an integrated civil andmilitary air traffic control organization. Coastal Command's Shackletons have been fitted with new radar, newnavigation equipment and improved submarine plotting facilities. They will be provided with improved communications and better means oflocating survivors in the sea. All Transport Command's Britannias have now been delivered, andthe proven value of the Comet has led to the placing of an order for the Comet 4C. During the coming year the Belvedere will enter squadronservice and the first deliveries of the gas-turbine-engined Whirlwind are expected. Later on a twin-engined version of the Wessex will beintroduced. In RAF Germany, new navigation equipment is being fitted toimprove the capacity of the Canberra tactical atomic strike-force to operate in all weathers. The Swift will shortly be replaced altogetherby the Hunter. The Canberra force in Cyprus will be largely re- equipped with later marks of aircraft during the next twelve months.Fighter ground attack squadrons in the Middle East have now been fully re-equipped with the Hunter GA.9. During the coming yearthe Far East fighter force will be strengthened by the introduction of Javelins and Hunter GA.9s. Belvederes will increase the Command'scapacity for tactical support. The basic flying training schools have now been largely re-equippedwith Jet Provosts, and towards the end of the year an improved version of the aircraft, with the more powerful Viper 11 engine, will be intro-duced. Certain changes are being made in the advanced training programme: after basic training on Provosts pilots will do advancedtraining on either the Varsity, the Vampire (to be replaced by the Gnat), or on helicopters. The fatal-accident rate for all Service aircraft was 30 per cent lowerin 1960 than in 1959, though 1959 had been the lowest rate previously recorded. . .The increase in recent years in the number of air movements, in the speed and performance of modern aircraft and in civil flying at highaltitudes, has greatly increased the responsibilities of the air traffic services. The Air Ministry is working closely with the MoA in thismatter to ensure safety in flying by military and civil aircraft in the limited air-space of the UK. As the result of a successful experimentlast year, RAF radars are providing a service for civil and military aircraft operating above 25,000ft. The service, which is operated byintegrated military and civil control teams, is now being extended to cover the greater part of United Kingdom air-space. During 1960some 35,000 movements of military aircraft across civil airways were made under radar surveillance.
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