Supersonic Decision
A record of the historic anglo-French official statements
"A supersonic airliner is going to come for certain, despite doubts about its commercial and economic wisdom; so we have to decide whether to build one or whether to contract out of future advanced air transport technology altogether. But if we decide to do it we must not delay the decision."
This, in so many words, has been the argument leading up to the historic decision to go ahead with the Anglo-French BAC-Sud Mach 2.2 supersonic airliner. The moment of decision was reached at 12.30 p.m. on November 29, 1962. This moment committed the British aircraft industry, or more precisely the British Aircraft Corporation and Bristol Siddeley, to the biggest single technical task they have ever undertaken.
A good deal of information about the project, the reasons for launching it and the way in which it will be tackled, was released on that day by the Ministry of Aviation and by the French Ministry and by the main contracting companies. It is appropriate to record this information in full, as it was issued.
The Minister of Aviation, Mr Julian Amery, addressing the House of Commons on November 29 :-
"With your permission, Mr Speaker, and that of the House, I should like to make a statement. I have today signed an agreement with the French Ambassador for the development and production of a supersonic airliner. This will be a joint project undertaken by Britain and France together.
"The aircraft will be a slender-wing airliner built mainly of light alloy. It will have a cruising speed of about Mach 2.2; that is, about 1,400 m.p.h. At this speed, it would cut the present Atlantic crossing from 71/2 hours to about 3 hours, and the flying time from London to Sydney from about 27 hours to 13 hours. The design of the aircraft has been agreed between the French company, Sud-Aviation, and the British Aircraft Corporation. These two firms will carry out the work on the airframe together. They will make two versions of the aircraft, one long-range and the other medium-range. Both versions will be powered by four Olympus 593 turbojet engines. This engine is to be developed jointly by the British firm of Bristol Siddeley Engines and the French Société Nationale, Snecma.
"The first flight of the aircraft is expected to be in 1966; and the aircraft should be ready for airline service by 1970. It is reckoned that, on stages of about 1,500 miles, its operating costs will be in line with the best subsonic jet airliners now in service.
"France and Britain will share the costs, the work, and the proceeds of sales on the basis of equal responsibility for the project as a whole. About two-thirds of the development work on the engine, and some 40 per cent of the work on the airframe will be done in Britain. One prototype will be assembled in each country.
"The project will be managed by joint industrial management boards set up by the British and French firms concerned. Their work will be supervised by a joint standing committee of officials responsible to the French and British Governments.
"The British share of the costs of development, and of jigging and tooling for production, is estimated at between £75m and £85m. This will be spread over the next eight years or so. It will mainly be met by Her Majesty's Government, but the firms will make an appropriate contribution.
"BOAC and Air France will be associated with the project from the beginning. The project is the result of several years of intensive research in industry and Government establishments on both sides of the Channel. Considerable preliminary work has already been carried out in France and in Britain, and the project is much further advanced than any other known design for a supersonic airliner. The aircraft thus has every chance, if we press on with it now, of securing a substantial part of the world market for supersonic airliners. This is a chance that will not return.
The development of the aircraft will ensure that the British and French aviation industries remain in the forefront of the world's long-range aircraft producers. It will also have far reaching consequences - not limited to aviation - in the technologies of metal, non-metallic materials, fluids, electrics, and electronics.
"Even more significant may be the lessons which France and Britain will learn from working together on every aspect of a joint project of this size. Our two countries were pioneers in the early days of aircraft production. Then, they were also rivals. But now the time has come to join forces, if we are to hold a leading position on the air routes of the world."
Source: Flight International
