Evening star., 1940-12-10
Plane Manufacturers
Pushing Expansion
Ahead Of Schedule
Navy Awards Contracts
For Additions at
; United PIunts
BY JOSEPH S. EDGERTON.

oy JOSLfh .. EDOEnxONs
Paced by the Glenn L. Martin Co.
at Baltimore, several of the Nations
leading aircraft factories now are
pushing plant expansion programs
ahead of schedule In an effort to
speed deliveries Of fighting planes
to England and Greece in time for
intensified spring operations against
the shaken Mussolini dictatorship.
At the same time the Navy De-
partment announced the award Of
contracts to the United States Air
craft Corp. for acquisition, construc-
ton and installation of additional
facilities at it's three plants. The
largest award, in the amount of $14,-
799, 900, went to the Pratt-& Whitney
Aircraft Division, East Hartford,
Conn. for addition Of approximately
$4,000 square feet of floor space. A
1,761, ,745 contract went to the Ham
ilton Standard Propellers Division for
facilities at East Hartford and for
additional machinery at the divi-
Sion's rented plant at Pawcatuck,
Conn. An award Of $1,600,000 was
made to the Vought-Sikorsky Air
craft Division for additional facil-
tiles amounting to about 258 200
square feet of floor space at STRAIT
ford, Conn.
Navy to Hold Title.
Under the agreement title to the
additional property is to remain in
the Navy Department, with possibil-
ity that after the emergency has
passed the company might acquire
the additional facilities.
At East Hartford Eugene E. Will
son, president of United Aircraft,
told the Associated Press the new
contracts cover plant facilities al
ready under construction and ex-
pected to be in full production by
the late summer of 194l. He said
the company had anticipated the
contracts by many months to meet
Army and Navy requirements for
1900 Pratt & Whitney engines.
2700O Hamilton Standard propellers
and an unspecified number of
Vought-Sikorsky airplanes.
Schedules Increased.
Characterizing the Martin pro-
gram as the "farthest advanced Of
all national defense expansions in
aircraft plants" under the program
1Od1 hands nf tina 10 III |
more plant announced today that
construction which will add 400, 900
square feet of floor space to'the L.
1853 900 now in use is "above ground"
Production schedules of new Mar
tin bombers already are being in
creased sharply" it was announced.
At the same time, construction
crews are half finished with the
first step in a series of new plant
additions to increase the mass pro-
duction facilities at the Middle
River plant.
Both the large navy bay" said
to be the largest single aircraft
assembly floor in the country, and
the two-story military bay" are
DSlIlS cAtcIlueu OH IWO IlOOIS. 7
3,800,o0O Feet Needed.
Glenn L. Martin. president Of the |
company, said today that approxi- |
mately $500, 900 square feet win be
required to meet the full national
defense assignment held by his
company The military bay will be
completed soon after January / and
the navy bay about February l.
Foundation work has been COM
pleted on both additions and the
steel framework is being erected for
the military bay.
On the West Coast, the Consoli-
dated Aircraft Corp. also announced
today that plans have been COM
pleted and ground will be broken |
at once for construction of huge |
new parts plant at San Diego which |
will approximately double the pres
ent plant. This will make possible |
a considerable speeding up of pro-