Commuttique Issued on Strong Front Line Defences London, Jan. 12.
"The first line strength of the Royal Air Force is now more than twice what it was when the expansion programme began in 1935," states a semi-official communique issued by the British Air Ministry to-day In the middle of 1935, it was stated that the first-line establishment at that time consisted of 580 units of aircraft. In addition, intermediate types of planes, with which some of the new squadrons were equipped the first instance, are now being replaced by bombers and fighting planes as they are delivered from the factories.
The Hawker Hurricane, the communique states, a single-seater fight-plane now being delivered to the 1 Air Force, is one of the fastest ing planes in the world and is being produced in large numbers Deliveries will be made shortly to the R. A. F. of another fighting plane Supermarine Spit-fire.
There are now five types of bombing planes im course of regular and satisfactory production, namely, Vicker's Wellesley for long distance flights, Bristol Blenheim, Fairy Battle, Handley-Page Harrow, and Armstrong Whitley. These aircraft are in many cases being manufaetured by firms other than the com-Which designed them.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.