Industry and Air Power by Noel Sebastian Ritchie Sebastian Ritchie

Author:Noel Sebastian Ritchie, Sebastian Ritchie [Noel Sebastian Ritchie, Sebastian Ritchie]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780714647241
Barnesnoble:
Publisher: Taylor & Francis
Published: 1997-05-31T00:00:00+00:00

Aero-engine production was occupying a false position in the aircraft programme. Under wartime conditions the aero-engine would assume primary importance, the industry would produce to capacity, and the availability of engines would exert a decisive influence over aircraft deliveries. In the rearmament years, however, there were no engine shortages, and the Air Ministry’s attention was focused on the airframe sector. Only in 1939, when the supply of aero-engines began to cause official concern, was the long-term demand finally clarified.

Aero-engine production nevertheless expanded continuously throughout the rearmament years. In July 1939, the DGP reported that a threefold increase in the monthly output of engines had been achieved in the previous 12 months. He listed seven principal reasons for this: increased machine utilisation, increased working hours, increased production equipment, increased labour strength, increased area at parent factories, new area at shadow factories, and increased subcontracting.105 There had also been significant gains in efficiency. An enormous programme of internal reorganisation had been implemented at Rolls-Royce, and the shadow industry had substantially reduced the unit cost of the Mercury engine. Further advances were to be expected during the war, given the higher degree of mechanisation adopted at the new Merlin and Hercules factories which the Air Ministry sanctioned in 1939.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.