Mr. MAHON. What is the price range of these planes? Mr. MAHON. The average of everything, including the helicopters and so on? Admiral CASSADY. Yes, sir. Mr. MAHON. What is the highest-priced plane? Admiral PRIDE. The antisubmarine patrol plane with a maximum amount of electronics. Mr. MAHON. What does that amount to? Admiral PRIDE. Those will run 1.25 million dollars apiece. Mr. MAHON. What kind of plane is it? Admiral PRIDE. We call it the P-2-V. It is a Lockheed twinengine plane that looks very much like a medium bomber. Mr. MAHON. Lockheed makes it? Admiral PRIDE. Yes, sir. DISTRIBUTION OF AIRCRAFT PRODUCTION CONTRACTS Mr. MAHON. Are you going to distribute your aircraft production among the companies in such a way as to stimulate and strengthen our aircraft industry? Admiral PRIDE. Yes, sir. These are spread throughout that part of the industry that supplies the Navy. Mr. ENGEL. Pardon me a minute. What do you mean by a medium bomber? Do you mean a B-29? Admiral PRIDE. It is a little smaller than a B-29, but in general appearance that is true. Mr. ENGEL. In other words, what the Army used to consider a heavy bomber now is a medium bomber? Admiral PRIDE. That is right. I am talking about the planes like the present medium bombers. Mr. ENGEL. Similar to the B-29? Admiral PRIDE. Yes, sir. Mr. ENGEL. Which used to be our heavy bomber. COST OF JET FIGHTERS Mr. MAHON. What is the price of our jet fighters? Admiral PRIDE. The jet fighters will run from under a half million dollars apiece up to the most expensive jet fighter, which is a night fighter with a great deal of electronics, and two engines, which will run up a little over $1,000,000. Mr. MAHON. Are you not more or less telescoping onto your regular program this supplemental program? In other words, you are giving the same companies probably some additional aircraft production as a result of the supplemental? Admiral PRIDE. That is the case pretty well because our regular appropriation covered practically the entire industry that supplies the Navy. Mr. MAHON. You are getting about 900 planes out of your regular appropriation? Admiral CASSADY. 980; yes, sir. COST OF AIRCRAFT PRODUCTION Mr. MAHON. Will you get any reduction in cost as a result of the increased number of planes being placed on order? Admiral PRIDE. I think we will, but I would say it will probably work out this way: The increased production will require more shifts. It will require more tooling. I would guess that we will not reap much more benefit from the increased numbers until the new forces, the new shifts, have been trained. We will still be on the learning curve for that part of the force. I should think that we ought to get off the learning curve much more rapidly than if we were starting fresh, but there will still be a little hump for teaching these new people, I think. NUMBER OF WORK SHIFTS IN AIRCRAFT PLANTS Mr. ENGEL. What are you going to have, two shifts or three shifts? Admiral PRIDE. The most economical arrangement, according to Mr. Kindelberger, the president of North American, is two 10-hour shifts, 5 days a week. Mr. ENGEL. They will work 50 hours a week? Admiral PRIDE. Yes. Mr. ENGEL. They will pay time and a half for overtime? Admiral PRIDE. He said in North American's operations-and several of the other larger ones agree with him-that is the best way to do it. Mr. ENGEL. If you take three shifts you get on the average two and a half times one shift production. Admiral PRIDE. You are starting and stopping. Mr. ENGEL. You are starting and stopping. The first thing you lose is three lunch hours. You have the clean-up and what not. I always figured about two and a half times one shift for three. Two, 8-hour shifts is the cheapest you can get. If you are trying to get a little more production at more cost you add on the extra shift. Instead of working two 8-hour shifts you work two shifts 10 hours, getting 20 hours of production on the two shifts against 24 hours of work on three 8-hour shifts. In other words, for three shifts you are paying for 24 hours and getting two and a half times the production of one shift. You lose half a shift's production. Mr. MAHON. Is there any other statement? Admiral PRIDE. I do not think that your question, Mr. Chairman, was answered, as to what the other items were. RATE OF AIRCRAFT ATTRITION Mr. ENGEL. Before you leave the plane item, I would like to have you give me the rate of attrition on each type of plane, percentagewise-fighter, bomber, light bomber, jet fighters, and so forth, as distinguished from the conventional fighter. Admiral PRIDE. I have a table here for attrition in normal peacetime operation as against the attrition in the Korean operation. These figures show the way we estimate the jet fighters. (Discussion off the record.) Mr. ENGEL. Is your attrition on jet planes more than on conventional engine planes? (Discussion off the record.) Mr. ENGEL. What about your combat losses? (Discussion off the record.) Mr. ENGEL. If your jet plane is so much more efficient than the reciprocal engine plane, why should not your attrition rate be less? Admiral PRIDE. I am talking about combat losses. They are not fighting other airplanes very much in Korea. The stepped-up tempo of operations moves everybody's casualties up. Mr. ENGEL. Is not a jet plane harder to hit by any aircraft than any other type because it is faster? Admiral PRIDE. We will not know until we get more experience. I would think that it would be, if it is going a lot faster. Mr. ENGEL. These figures will have to do for the present? Admiral PRIDE. They are but an estimate. Mr. ENGEL. I will be interested in seeing how you come out. AIRCRAFT AND FACILITIES Mr. MAHON. We will proceed with the various items under "Aircraft and facilities,' SUMMARY JUSTIFICATION DATA We will insert in the record at this point the prepared justifications. (The justifications referred to are as follows:) (1) An increase of $16,841,000 for additional flying hours. To augment present naval aviation forces, plans formulated by the Joint Chiefs of Staff provide for the reactivation of a number of Regular Navy and Marine Corps combat units and for a corresponding increase in flying hours. A comparison of major units in 69887-50-pt. 2- -11 the original and revised operating complements for 1951, compared with corresponding 1950 complements, is presented in the following summary: During 1950 the aviation combat units were contracted, in order to conserve funds, from the levels shown as the "1950 program" to the levels shown as the "Original 1951 program." Currently action is underway to reactivate a number of these units. The additional forces planned under the augmented 1951 program will increase the operating strength from 4,389 aircraft to 5,491 aircraft, or to approximately 98 percent of the number authorized by Congress under the 1950 program but not all of the combat units inactivated during 1950 are being reactivated at this time. Implementation of this expanded 1951 program involves the following changes in program factors: Over-all the augmented naval air forces will fly 433,000 flight-hours more than is contemplated in the basic program for 1951. These additional flight-hours have been priced at the average cost for the classes of aircraft involved, $38.89 per hour, and require a total of $16,841,000, as follows: Total additional hours_ Cost per hour___ 433, 000 $38. 89 $16, 841, 000 Under the increased operating program the average flight time will be 38.3 hours per plane per month in comparison with 36.8 hours per plane per month under the original estimate. This increase reflects average hourly flight-time requirements for the aircraft being brought into the program plus increased flying in far eastern combat operations. It does not provide for any general augmentation of flight operations by existing forces. (2) An increase of $19,584,000 for augmentation of supply support.-Existing supply reserves are based on supporting an operating complement for the Regular Navy, of 4,389 aircraft at peacetime operational levels. The augmentation of forces from a 4,389 operating strength to a 5,491 operating strength, coupled with a greater geographic spread of operating complements and the extension of supply lines to the combat area in the Far East makes necessary an increase in aeronautical spare part support stockpiles. Requirements for this purpose are related primarily to program strength rather than to flight hours and therefore are being budgeted separately. Revised requirement, 1951.. No increase is requested under this budget activity. $20, 573, 000 20, 573, 000 All of the expansion authorized involves Regular Navy and Marine Corps complements and does not change aggregate Naval and Marine Corps Reserve forces. To the extent that personnel in the Organized Reserve are assigned to active duty they will be replaced by others from the Volunteer Reserve. (1) An increase of $19,542,000 for the overhaul and modification of aircraft.The augmented program provides for a total of 5,491 Regular Navy and Marine Corps operating aircraft, an increase of 1,102 or 25 percent above the number programed under the original estimate for 1951. This factor combined with higher attrition rates experienced on aircraft in combat and increased aircraft pools involved in combat operations makes necessary the issue of 1,752 more aircraft than can be provided from accelerated new production deliveries. (2) An increase of $7,632,000 for engine overhaul.-Engine overhaul requirements are directly related to the increased number of flying hours. This increase in funds is required, therefore, to permit the accomplishment of an additional 1,760 engine overhauls in support of the augmented flight program. These addi tional overhauls have been priced by model at the cost for each model and require additional funds, as follows' (3) An increase of $5,710,000 for supporting programs. The increase in number of operating aircraft and total hours to be flown will necessitate additional allocations for related material overhaul, component manufacturing, emergency repairs, and salvage operations. 4. Aircraft overhaul, Naval Reserve: Senate bill, 1951_ Proposed supplemental Revised requirement, 1951 No increase is requested under this budget activity. 5. Station operations, Regular Navy: Senate bill, 1951. Proposed supplemental.. Revised requirement, 1951_ PROPOSED INCREASES IN PROGRAM 127, 705, 000 (1) An increase of $7,400,000 for the activation of additional stations. (2) An increase of $12,114,000 for expansion of fleet support activities at existing stations. (3) An increase of $5,657,000 for industrial overhead. 6. Station operations, Naval Reserve: $9, 125, 000 9, 125, 000 $14, 266, OCO 13, 568, 000 27, 834, 000 |