Canberra Times (ACT : 1926 - 1995), Wednesday 20 May 1953, page 4


RE-EQUIPPING

BOMBER WING

(From a Special Correspondent.)

TOWNSVILLE, Tuesday.

Re-equipment of the R.A.A.F's front-line Bomber Wing will be-gin mmediately after the Eng-land-New Zealand air race, next October.

The Wing will have the same type of Canberra jet bombers as Australia will fly in the air race.

Senior Air Staff Officer of the R.A.A.F's. Eastern Area, Group Captain Frank Hedlam, announc-ed this to-day.

The Wing is No. 82, home-based at Amberley, near Bris-

bane.

Group Captain Headlam made the statement at the close of "Operation Tropic Haven" at Manus. Obsolescent Lincoln bombers from the Wing took part in the operation.

The R.A.A.F. has ordered 48 Canberra jets. By September, the R.A.A.F. hopes to see Can-berras coming off the Austra-lian production line at the rate of one every fortnight.

The R.A.A.F. has also ordered 72 Australian-built Sabre jets. These swept-wing fighters will have super-powered turbines.

Group Captain Headlam added that the R.A.A.F. expected to have a full complement of air crews by the end of this year. Equipment of the Amberley Bomber Wing with jets would more than halve the Wing's crew requirements.

For Australia, they will carry

only three men in each crew.

He said that "Operation Tropic Haven" had proved the R.A.A.F. could move a heavy bomber squadron in three days. The move to Manus had been com-

pletely successful.