Bungling in the Air

The Finance Committee of the French Senate last week issued a shocking, 100-page report on bungling in the nationalized French aircraft industry. The report compiled by Senator Marcel Pellenc, who enjoys a reputation for honesty and technical know-how, charged&: P: Although the French aircraft industry had been voted a $250 million credit for modern military aircraft, the government has done little or nothing about getting them into production. P: France's chief fighter plane, the British-designed Vampire 5, now in production at a "normal rate," is obsolete. P: France's only up-to-date fighter plane, the Marcel Dassault 450, exists only in prototype form, will not be mass-produced until 1952. P: France has no bombers, has made no decisions about building any. P:The government is less interested in military necessity than in coddling the aircraft industry, which has deliberately confused its bookkeeping to block sound checks on salaries, working hours and prices.

P: French-produced aircraft engines are generally regarded "insufficient in performance . . . bad in quality."

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