Put & Take

A new reshuffle of the arms program last week ended in a dollar balance, at least so far as orders to industry were concerned. While Air Force engine orders were cut by about $500 million, the Navy announced a shipbuilding program of $503 million. The Navy will build a third Forrestal-class. 60,000-ton supercarrier, to cost $210 million, plus destroyers, minesweepers and landing craft;

The Air Force cutbacks will chop from 2,000 to 6,000 engines off firm orders already on corporate books. The cuts were made to bring engine production in line with overall reductions in plane production and the reduced Air Force flying program (TIME, Sept. 14). Another reason for the cut: jet engines have been improved to such an extent that not so many spare engines are needed. Air Force Secretary Harold Talbott explained that the flying time of a jet, without an overhaul, was originally estimated at 100 hours. But the new engines run for more than 250 hours. Said Defense Secretary Charles Wilson: "This is just like ordering a big beefsteak, a pound, and finding you only want a half-pound . . . Not knowing how hungry we might be for these spare engines, we ordered more than we could eat . . ."

The reductions also meant the end of engine production by all secondary suppliers of all production models, except for Pratt & Whitney's J-57. But the hardest hit was General Electric, a primary producer of the J-47. It will cut its monthly production in half. Packard and Studebaker will stop making J-47s by December. Nash will wind up production of Pratt & Whitney's R-2800 piston engine by May, and Chevrolet will stop making Wright's piston R-3350. Buick will continue making the Wright jet Sapphire only until present shortages are made up; then it will stop production. After the cutbacks go into effect, the only secondary supplier will be Ford, now tooling up to make Pratt & Whitney's J-57, whose schedules were not cut. However, all of the cutbacks are being made slowly, because, said Talbott. "We're not going to let these plants suddenly go boom and shut them down."

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