Evening star., 1938-07-01
$14,433,1% PLANE
CONTRACT IS LET
81 Bombers Are Included
in Purchases Made
by Army.

Contracts totaling $14,433,196 for
Army combat airplanes and engines
Of the latest fighting types developed
by the Army and the aircraft industry
were announced today by Acting
Secretary Of War Louis johnson.
It was believed to be one Of the
largest contracts for aircraft In Army
history.
Included In the conracts are 81
bombardment airplanes, 13 of them of
the flying fortress" type ordered from
the Boeing Aircraft Co. Of Seattle.
This will give the Army . total Of
81 Of these giant. four-engine bombers,
8 Of which recently made q 5000
mile, round trip flight to Buenos Aires.
The amount Of the Boeing contract
Is $3,174,S02.
The largest single contract awarded
is for 78 additional B-18A Douglas
bomtardment airplanes at q cost Of
$5,7o3,2s7, awarded to the Douglas
Aircraft Co., Inc. Of Santa Monica,
Calf. This order will increase to
more than $50 the number Of B-18A
airplanes purchased by the Army at
a total cost of approximately 315,000,-
900. The new contract, in addition to
the existing order. now being filled,
the War Department explained, lis by
far the largest contract for airplanes
ever placed by the Army in times Of
peace"
Similar to Transports.
The B-1SA airplane is two-engine
bomber, somewhat similar to the al
passenger air transport planes in op-
Grafton on the country's major airlines.
It has . rated speed of more than 225
miles per hour, as compared with the
250-mile- -per-hour speed Of the larger
flying fortress.
A third contract for seven YA-19
attack airplanes at q total cost Of
$297, ,180 was awarded to the Vultee
Aircraft Division Of the Aviation
Manufacturing Corp, Downey, Calf.
This airplane. the largest and fastest
single-engined attack plane yet de-
veloped, is believed to have no equal
In any nation. It Is q single-engined,
low-wing monoplane carrying q crew
Of three men and 900 pounds Of bombs
at 4 speed Of more than 230 miles
per hour. It is armed with six ma
chine guns.
Engine Contracts Let.
-Four large engine contracts totaling
$2,573,2s6 for 276 engines were award
ed to the Wright Aeronautical Corp. Of
Paterson, N. j., the Allison Engineer
ing Co. Of Indianapolis and the Pratt
and Whitney Division Of United Air
craft Corp, East Hartford, Conn.,,
which received two contracts.
The War Department also an
nounced rs additional contracts pro-
viding fox changes in 1T B-1sA air
planes, miscellaneous changes in 81
Douglas transport airplanes; for pro-
peller blades. hubs and parts; for
aviation trainers, wrecking trucks,
tank trucks, portable Photographic
laboratories, airplane fabric and
plastic materials, engine parts and
carburetors, aircraft mapping cam
eras and tools and equipment.
One Of the contracts, in the amount
OF SIS, ,7O2, was awarded to the Engi-
neering & Research Corp. Of this city,
covering the purchase Of propeller
and data for experimental purposes.
This corporation now is building Q
new plant near College Park, Md.
Mr.. johnson explained that the
placing of these contracts marks the
elimination Of 4 year of intensified
effort toward the reaching Of the OBJ
jectives set by the Baker Board, which
was to procure 1880 modern FIRST
line aircraft by July !, 1o40."
During the fiscal year which ended
yesterday contracts were placed for
58S airplanes at . total cost Of ap-
proximately $2s, 1000, 900. During the
year contracts also were awarded for
732 aeronautical engines at . total
value In excess Of $4,000, 900, and for
radio, armament, instruments and
other equipment totaling $7,5oo,o0o.