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Show Air Corps Will Use Jet -Propelled Fiehtezs on Japanese Front i The jet-propelled fighter plane, now constituting a rapidly growing segment of the aircraft production in this country, will displace "to a great degree"' the standard type of fighter-escort craft in the war against Japan, according to war production officials. Scheduled Increases in the output for this year are described as "terrific' "ter-rific' and by 1946, it was stated, production of the new plane may make it the largest single item in the wide range of United States aircraft air-craft types. The Germans are using a jet-propelled jet-propelled plane on the western front in combat against Allied bombers and their fighter escorts. It is ac-; ac-; knowledged to have as principal ad-' ad-' vantage the speed with which it can i attack and then elude conventional American fighter planes. American aircraft designers and engineers are trying to eliminate what appears to be the chief dis advantage of the jet-plane, its short range. Because of its prodigious consumption of fuel, it is necessary that the plane be close to its base for frequent refueling. Until the range is lengthened, its use as a bomber escort will be confined to raids against targets reasonably close to sources of fuel supply, experts ex-perts point out. They add confidently, confident-ly, however, that the short range will not always be an obstacle to extensive ex-tensive use of the plane. |
