Evening star., 1949-05-10
Altitude Jet Fighter
Tests by Navy Show
B-36 Is Vulnerable
Admiral BIondy Asserts
Few in Air Force Know
Of Corrier's Capabilities
By David Laurence

By David Laurence
Sometimes, way down in the
press association dispatches, far
removed from mention in the
headlines, sensational piece of
news Is concealed. 1t isn't in
territorial. of course, and is due
only to the general unfamiliarity
of the press with what is or has
been secret information of a class
flied nature on defense plans.
Thus, the fact that the United
States Navy has developed a jet
fighter plane which can climb to
an altitude of 10000 feet in seven
minutes has been a secret. 1t
has just been made public in a
United Press dispatch from the
aircraft carrier Franklin D. Roose-
velt on the authority of Admiral
Blandy, Commander of the At
lantic Fleet.
What this means is that the
B-36's. on which Congress has
placed lis chief reliance for stra-
tegic bombing, are vulnerable and
cannot proceed without fighter
protection from continent to con-
tinent as claimed. Every one
who knows anything about air
warfare knows that fighter planes
cannot carry enough gasoline to-
operate from territorial United
States and will have to support
long bombers from over
seas bases.
PIN Point Bombing.
Every one who studied the Of
fetal reports of the strategic
bombing survey made by an in
dependent group of citizens after
the last war as to results In both
Japan and Europe knows that
"pin point" or precision bombing
from an altitude of 10000 feet is
out of the question.
The most significant informa-
tion in the press association dis
patch, however, is contained in
the following paragraph:
To-day very few Air Force Of
ficers are familiar with the capa-
bilities of naval aviation, Admiral
Blandy asserted. Observers had
an implied demonstration of this
possibility when Navy jet fighters
were catapulted off the $4,000 ton
carriers deck to climb to 10000
feet in seven minutes. These
planes-McDonnell F2H Banshees
were said to be able to intercept
a bomber attack at attitudes up to
eight miles.
IF actual war games were held
with the Air Force and the Ban
shees proved themselves. 1t would
weaken the Air Forces claim that
its B-36 superbombers are almost
impossible targets for ,interceptors
above 10000 feetS Air force
statements have been based on
tests Of the B-36 against Air
Force fighters which are said to
require % minutes to climb to
10000 feet and then not be able
to do tight manuevers.n
70 Here is an excellent example
of what patriotic competition be-
tween the research and develop
ment staffs of the Navy and the
Air Force. respectively. has done
for America. It is a good exam
pie also of what would be lost
If one service were given a mon
opoly over all airplane research.
Stimulus to Effort.
Certainly a monopoly is a.
much more convenient arrange
ment for the folks who get the
monopoly but. in the business
world and in the world of re-
search, it has been found that
rivalry of achievement is a stiri1-
illus to effort and that a certain
amount of competition adds zestl
to everyday work.
The Navy isn't concerned at
all with the vulnerability Of the
B-36 superbomber but is con-
cerned with the development of
the most effective jet fighter pos
sible, because Navy ships must
protect themselves against high
level bombing by means of fighter
planes flown from carriers.
1t can be seen from the above
how injurious it might be to the
defense planning of America If
one armed service were to be pre-
vented from using any particu-
lar weapon to perfect its own de-
tense. Theoretically now the head
of the Navy and the head of the
Army could veto the continued
use by the Air Force of the B-36
for which contracts involving
hundreds of millions of dollars
have Just been placed by Secre-
tary johnson. But this would be
as grave a mistake as the veto
recently registered by Generals
Bradley and Vandenberg against
the Navy's simple request to add
100 feet to the size of their
existing carriers. To give each
armed service the right to I'M
prove its fighting technique. pro-
vided it stays within its own budg-
ct. is logical and sensible CO.
rollary to unification.
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