177 Bombers

With all the drop hammers of the world pounding on the anvils of war, the U.S.A. is not the quietest member of the chorus. Last week the U. S. Army placed the largest single order for military aircraft since the World War--177 twin-motored bombers costing $11,651,948.10. To Douglas Aircraft Co., Inc. of Santa Monica, Calif., already the world's largest aircraft factory with some 10,000 hands at work, went this huge contract, bringing the Douglas backlog of orders to $38,031,828.

Great Britain, France, Russia and Germany are aiming at airfleets of at least 5,000 planes. The U. S. Army's authorized goal is 2,320 planes, the Navy's 1,910. In 1936 the Army had 1,192 planes, the Navy 977, but obsolescence is overtaking these craft almost as fast as the services buy new ones. Since Jan. 1, the Navy has ordered 248 planes and the Army 176, aside from last week's contract. By the end of the year the Army expects some 700 deliveries, most of them ordered bwfore Jan. 1.

To any spy, most interesting of the new Army planes is a gigantic Boeing scheduled for first test flights this week at Seattle. A four-motored, mid-wing monoplane of lines similar to the famed Boeing "flying fortress" launched two years ago, of which the Army ordered 13 at a reputed $196,000 each, the new bomber is much bigger, much more efficient. The new Boeing is reported to weigh 20 tons, have a speed above 250 m.p.h. with eight tons of bombs.

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