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Aviation History
1963
1963 - 1286.PDF
112 FLIGHT International, 25 July 1963 WORLD E W 8 Defence Ministry: The MoA's Position The Ministry of Aviation is to remain an independent department under the plans for creating a unified Ministry of Defence, announced in a White Paper (Central Organisation for Defence*) last week, but arrangements will be made for collaboration between it and the Defence Ministry. The MoA will be "responsible for the execution of programmes of defence research, development and production formulated and approved by the Secretary of State for Defence." The new ministry is to come into being on April 1 next year, absorbing the present Ministry of Defence and the Service Ministries. Its object "is to improve the central control of defence policy without impairing the efficiency and morale of the fighting Services." The offices of Secretary of State for Air, along with that of the First Lord of the Admiralty and Secretary of State for War, will be abolished; instead there are to be three Ministers of State for Defence, assisted by three Parliamentary Under-Secretaries of State. There are to be new Defence Councils for each of the Services, with the Secretary of State for Defence as chairman. Although the three Services will remain separate, within the new Ministry work will be organized wherever possible on a Defence rather than a single Service basis. Defining the position of the MoA under the proposed set-up, the White Paper says:— "The Ministry of Aviation has wide responsibilities for civil as well as military research and development. These are indi visible. Civil aviation research and develop ment may well increase in the future. The Ministry is also responsible for sponsorship of the aircraft industry. "These responsibilities would, if transferred to the new Ministry of Defence, place on it, and particularly on the Secretary of State, a very heavy additional load, much of it outside the defence sphere. "For these reasons it has been decided that the Ministry of Aviation will continue to be an independent Department, responsible for the execution of programmes of defence research, development, and production formulated and approved by the Secretary of State for Defence. "Close links must however be maintained between the Ministry of Aviation and the new Ministry of Defence. As already stated, the Minister of Aviation will attend the Defence Council whenever matters affecting his Department are under consideration. The Ministry of Aviation will be fully associated with the new arrangements for the formulation of operational requirements, for the control of defence research and development, and for weapons system evaluation. The Ministry of Defence will in future be represented on the main Ministry of Aviation departmental committees responsible for the management of defence research, development, and pro duction programmes. "There will be the freest possible com munication at all levels between the Ministry of Defence and the headquarters and estab lishments of the Ministry of Aviation. The *Cmnd 2097. HMSO. Price Is 64. Secretary of State for Defence and his senior officials will be free to call in for consultation officials of the Ministry of Aviation and its establishments, keeping the Minister of Aviation informed. Ministry of Aviation scientists will be freely available to serve on Ministry of Defence panels. The Ministry of Aviation will inform the Ministry of Defence of developments in industry and will facilitate any necessary contacts. "In view of the importance of close consulta tion between the Ministry of Defence and the Ministry of Aviation, the Minister of Aviation and those senior officials who are mainly or exclusively concerned with defence projects will be accommc dated in the same building as the staffs of the Ministry of Defence who are responsible for policy. So far as space permits, other Ministry of Aviation staffs will be accommodated closer to the Ministry of Defence than at present. "Arrangements will be made for the regular and easy interchange of staff between the Ministry of Defence and the Ministry of Aviation, particularly in the scientific field. Existing arrangements for this purpose will be reinforced. "These measures to strengthen the links between the Ministries of Aviation and Defence and the new and improved procedures for the control of the research and development programme will result in closer monitoring of the progress of individual major projects. Technical and cost factors which seem likely to cause unforeseen difficulties will be identified with greater speed and certainty, and this will enable decisions to|overcome such difficulties to be promptly taken." The European VTOL Scene France and West Germany are to "collaborate in the development of a V/STOL strike/reconnaissance aircraft." This was announced as a supplement to a communique issued in Bonn on July 5 after meetings between the two heads of State and their ministers. The terms of the agreement signed by the two defence ministers have not been published, but almost certainly concentrate upon an aeroplane in the Mach-2 class. The present position thus appears to be:— Britain Joint evaluation of the P. 1127 with the USA and West Germany; joint development of the RB.162 lift jet with France and West Germany. France Joint development of a Mach 2 V/STOL aircraft with West Germany (undoubtedly the aircraft will be the Mirage III-V); joint development of the RB.162 engine with Britain. Italy Joint development with Germany of a Mach 1-1.5 G.91 replacement (almost certainly the Fiat G.95/4) and a tactical transport (either the Fiat G.222 or, more probably, the Do31). USA Support for Bristol Siddeley research into plenum-chamber burning; participation in Service trials with the P. 1127. West Germany Joint development of a G.91-replacement and a transport with Italy and a Mach 2 aircraft with France. The VJ 101C is an interim research aircraft only, and the VJ J01D would have the same configuration as the Mirage III-V and may not be proceeded with; the FW1262 is also unlikely to go forward, although Focke-Wulf have for many months wished to buy the P. 1127 which belly-landed at Tangmere in order to put RB.162s into it for research purposes. This appears to leave Britain, who did all the pioneer spadework, rather out in the cold as far as airframes are concerned. Only last week the Minister of Aviation repeated that at all times HM Government had striven for the adoption by NATO countries of "a common aircraft"; but Britain has adopted vectored-thrust designs and her partners composite propulsion. Hawker Siddeley will have to demonstrate "a better mousetrap" if either our Mach 1 (P.1127) or Mach 2 (P.1154) design is to find acceptance abroad. The fact that P. 1127s are regularly flying 1,000 n.m, missions provides such a demonstration. P.1127 Progress Five Hawker Siddeley P. 1127s have so far been flown, and the last of the six development aircraft ordered by MoA is to be completed during the autumn. These will be followed during 1964 by the nine tripar tite development aircraft, which will be slightly different in appearance from the earlier machines. They will have underwing stations for external tanks and weapons and a camera installation in the nose. Some preliminary external load-carrying trials have been completed, but the main weapon trials will form part of the tripartite evaluation. In this context, the very con siderable experience gained in fitting the various types of Hunter with practically every relevant Western store will directly apply to the P.1127. Present thrust of the Bristol Siddeley Pegasus is 14,0001b, but the first Pegasus 5 with rather higher power, will be produced next month. This is the engine destined for the nine tripartite machines. Of the five P. 1127s so far built, one was written-off last year at Yeovilton; another was damaged in a dead-stick landing at Tangmere earlier this year, and the first prototype—which crashed at the Par|s Show—is also repairable. All five aircraft have accumulated a total of about I50nr flying, involving some 600 V/STOL take-offs and landings and 300 transitions. The first transition was achieved withm 1 Jhr of the first jet-borne flight. Each aircraft is fitted with a pressure- reducing valve to protect both the nozzle- positioning air motors, and a 300-mes filter is to be fitted to prevent any ^ possi bility of recurrence of the jamming by g^ which is assumed to have caused the un- wanted nozzle rotation at Le Bourge- Duplicated valves will be incorporated a
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