The Washington herald., 1918-06-04
U. S. AIR FORCE
SOON TO OUTDO
ENEMY TOTAE
Our Airplanes May Equal
English and French To-
! gether by Fall.

Despite all the delays and difficult
ties that have hampered Uncle sam
production OF combat airplanes, Amer
ica's fighting aero forces in France
probably will equal by late summer
the combined airplane strength of
France and England and will. alone.
considerably outnumber Germany's
force i'm the air.
This estimate is based on the actual
number of combat machines now be-
ing turned out and the present ill.,
crease in the rate of production each
week. after making due allowances
for further delays and difficulties that
may be experienced.
Program of e4O squadrons.
The AirpIane Board. little real
izing the many problems of pro-
duction. training. etc. they were to
encounter. last spring laid out a
program that called for 240 squad
rOns of American fiiers in France by
fall of 1918. This meant approx
mately $500 planes. allowing IS
planes per squadron and an addi-
tiOnaI so per cent for replacement
of lost or damaged planes. 1t also
meant bout 5000 trained fliers,
thousands of skilled airplane me-
CndnlCS, scores OIL dlEuTOiueS III
France and the development of a
great organization stretching from
the factories and training fields of
The United States across 5000 miles
Of ocean to the lighting line in
France.
In the light of actual production
today. of machines completed and in
process of building and of fliers
trained and in process of training.
we will not be able to put 24O
sqTadrons OF planes into France this
summer.
But ct the present rate OF produc-
tiOn We will be able to deliver to
, the lighting front l2O aero squad
rOns, or some 2.160 planes plus an
other 1000 for replacement. The
men who will fly these planes will
have had thorough training not
Fonly in flying but in bombing. OBJ
servatiOn. machine gunnery. pno-
Biography. etc.
Production of planes i'm this coun-
try to June will approximate 500.
of these slightly more than 1900 are
elementary and training planes. The
remainder are combat planes. chiefly
Of the De Haviland and Bristol types.
IN ADDITION. approximately 1000
planes have been delivered in France
on orders placed with England and
France. The majority of these are
advanced training planes, but the
number includes also several hundred
fast scout and combat planes for
actual battle work. Deliveries OF
planes manufactured in this country.
however, are now being made in
such quantities that France and Eng
land will not be called upon to fur
nish the full number of planes con-
tracted for-appToNimateIy 6.v5-as
fTom now on we will be able to SUM-
Ply our own needs.
a. Gun Production Good.
Plane production in the United
states is now well above 100 month";
~ and may reach eco very soon.
One of the remarkable feats of
production IN the airplane service has
heen of aircraft guns and the syn
chrpnizinG apparatus by which the
guns fire through the whirring pro-
peier blades. More than 200 of
inc" guns and the synchroniziny
mechanisms have been turned out.
Amcrica's lighting planes will be
epT'pPed with four rapid-fire guns
each. two for attack. synchronizrd
10 fire through the prOpelIers two
Stuated on flexible mounts for do
tenSlVe purposes