Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1957-02-11
AIR POWER RACE
BY DAVID C. COOKE


known American or Canadian
planes were in the area at the
time.
While North Americans. un-
aware of the incident, went or
about their routine business OF
the day, the entire Air Defense
. Command Of the United States
Air Force was placed on the
alert 70 the officers in charge
this could be the trigger OF
World War III. There was little
doubt the planes were Russian
Tension in the United States
Air Force had built up to a
peak when the four planes
turned away and departed
northward.
Hitherto unreported. this in
cident had unusual significance
for the men who plan and oper-
ate the USAF. Here was evidence
that the Russian long-range
bombing command was engag-
ing in extensive training.
A Soviet mission to Alaska
moreover, meant that the era
of inferior Russian aircraft, and
flight performance, was over.
The time when Americans
could laugh at Russian propa-
ganda stories-for instance, that
one Alexander Mozhaisky had
made a powered plane fight 81
years before the Wright brothers
had come to an end.
1900 MPH Fighter Planes
The Russians had replaced
propaganda with research and
accomplishment.
Today, the Red air force has
fighter planes capable of speeds
up to about 1900 miles an hour.
They have bombers capable of
duplicating the recent world
encircling feat Of the three Boe-
ing B-52's. They have an air
force capable of penetrating our
defenses and nuclear- bombing
North America fact which
tempers our own Air Forces
boast that we could retaliate
against any aggression by atom
smashing the Soviet Union.
Furthermore, the Russians
press aviation production while
American assembly lines falter.
The Red Air force is top-ight
from the top down.
THE command element in So
Wet aviation is made up of tough.
aggressive, reSourceful leaders"
says Gen. Nathan F. Twining,
USAF Chief of Staff.
u. S. Bombers Led World
The building of the modern
Red air force has had speed as
well as scope. Before World War
II. Russian air power was in
tended strictly for defense
against the ground attack of a
specific enemy-the Germans.
At wars end. when the United
States had the worlds most
powerful force of long range
strategic bombers. lombard
ment aviation remained virtu-
ally unknown in the Soviet
Union.
Even as late as the Korean
war. our fighters and bombers
encountered heavy resistance
from Red Star fighters, but our
ground forces went practically
untouched by enemy bombs.
The Russians first attempts
to build an aggressive air force
were disarmingly feeble. Copies
of a Boeing B-29 were produced
in the Soviet Union, followed by
would-be duplicates of the Con-
vair B-36 bomber.
Today. the Russians have more
swept-wing jet Bison" bomb
ers than we have B-52's. The
Bison is. according to authori-
tative sources, fitted with the
most powerful jet engines in
operational use anywhere in the
world. 1t can cruise at attitudes
far beyond the reach of most of
our defending fighters.
The Red air force today also
has a considerable number of
bombers designated the Bears, Z"
which are roughly equal in size
to the B-36 but which, accord
ing to informed sources, are far
superior in performance.
Reds Stress Air Power
How have the Russians man.
aged to catch up with us-and
pass us in some fields-in such
a short time?
A key answer is that the Rus
slams are going about their avia-
ton development with a sense
of urgency. contrasted to our own
'no-hurry" policies. Through
USAF edict, the United States
aviation industry. besides being
more engrossed in development
and research than production.
works on a flve-day, 40-hour
week. The Russians labor around
the clock under war-type pres
sure.
While America and other major
Western powers entered into a
period of virtual disarmament
after World War IL the United
States mothballing factories and
even disseminating intense ex-
perimental work on jet propul-
sion for a period of 10 months
aviation activities continued un-
abated in the USSR.
Had our industry not entered
into a crash" development Pc
Rod beginning with Korea, we
might never have caught up with
the tremendous lead the Rus
slams had gained over us.
u. s. Behind In Engineers
Another major reason I'VE are
falling behind" says Gen.
Thomas d. White, USAF vice
Chief of Staff, lis that the Com
munists are making scientific
and chronological advances at a
faster rate than we are"
In 1OE2 hhnrn xrnrn E20 nm