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Contents Listing - Articles & Features in this issue
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Article Snippets
Missile Age:
During the past few years most people have been aware of a subtle change taking place in the American aircraft industry. More and more accent has been placed on missiles and the industry, in the phrase of one observer, has " become starved of aircraft" Facts and figures now prove this trend has made a significant advance.
If we take one company alone - Lockheed, who, to say the least, are prominent in the aircraft field - we find that during 1960 22 per cent of the company's total sales came from satellite vehicles, 30 per cent from Polaris missiles and four per cent from other missiles. The total proportion of aircraft sales declined from 94 per cent in 1955 to 43 per cent last year. This is also reflected on a national scale. In 1952 the USA spent some S300 million on missiles and $4,800 million on aircraft. Midway through • 1959 expenditure on the two was level at ''i7,300 million each. The estimate for 1961 is $8,100 million on missiles and $6,000 million on aircraft.
None of this means that the U.S. industry is pining away. Far from it. But it does mean that the only important aeroplane development being undertaken in that country at the moment is the B-70 Valkyrie bomber. It also means lhat the USAF have been showing some interest in both the English Electric rSR,-2 and the Hawker P. 1127—which could be very nice for Great Britain. The U.S. Industry seems to be perfectly happy with the way things are.
During the past few years most people have been aware of a subtle change taking place in the American aircraft industry. More and more accent has been placed on missiles and the industry, in the phrase of one observer, has " become starved of aircraft" Facts and figures now prove this trend has made a significant advance.
If we take one company alone - Lockheed, who, to say the least, are prominent in the aircraft field - we find that during 1960 22 per cent of the company's total sales came from satellite vehicles, 30 per cent from Polaris missiles and four per cent from other missiles. The total proportion of aircraft sales declined from 94 per cent in 1955 to 43 per cent last year. This is also reflected on a national scale. In 1952 the USA spent some S300 million on missiles and $4,800 million on aircraft. Midway through • 1959 expenditure on the two was level at ''i7,300 million each. The estimate for 1961 is $8,100 million on missiles and $6,000 million on aircraft.
None of this means that the U.S. industry is pining away. Far from it. But it does mean that the only important aeroplane development being undertaken in that country at the moment is the B-70 Valkyrie bomber. It also means lhat the USAF have been showing some interest in both the English Electric rSR,-2 and the Hawker P. 1127—which could be very nice for Great Britain. The U.S. Industry seems to be perfectly happy with the way things are.
