FlyPast 02.2018

Defence: The Outline of Future

Policy, April 4, 1957

antiquated weapons with which

it will conceive its interests to be

bound up.”

Ten years later the government

was focused on increasing the

production of missiles, with a

combined quest to bring a measure

of coalescence to the British

aircraft industry, which was full of

duplication and fragmentation.

This was exemplified by the failure

of the Supermarine Swift. Conceived

as ‘insurance’ in case the Hunter didn’t

work, the Swift formally entered

RAF service with 56 Squadron in

February 1954. The type was found

to be uncontrollable at high speeds

and, if anything, the modified F.2

was even worse than the F.1. There

were unfriendly headlines in national

newspapers, as in September 1954

when the News Chronicle asked:

“Where are the Planes?”

Survival of the

fittest

In January 1955 the Cabinet agreed

to publish a White Paper, The

Supply of Military Aircraft. Professor

Keith Hayward, a prominent writer

on the state of the British industry,

commented: “At its core was the

Swift fiasco but surrounding it was

a much lengthier explanation of

post-war aircraft development and

the military exigencies.”

Hayward highlighted: “... the

concurrent development and

took charge of the British aircraft
industry, only to discover that the
rest of the world was not greatly
interested in its products. Faced with
a cutback in military orders, Jones
advocated a slimmer industry with
fewer manufacturers.
In his autobiography published in
1947, ACM Sir Arthur ‘Bomber’
Harris regarded the manned bomber
as having had its day. He thought
the future lay with missiles, but he
had: “... not the slightest doubt
that the air force will cling to the

Defence: The Outline of Future

Survival of the

In January 1955 the Cabinet agreed

took charge of the British aircraft took charge of the British aircraft took charge of the British aircraft Survival of the Survival of the

Left

Duncan Sandys

(right) disembarking

from a DH Devon

in March 1952

at Sydenham,

Belfast, on a visit

to Short Brothers

and Harland. He

is being greeted

by W V McCleery

MP, Minister of

Commerce for the

province.

Above and left

During 1957 the

RAF started to

deploy Douglas

Thor intermediate

ballistic missiles as

part of the nuclear

deterrent.

February 2018 FLYPAST 91