THE FAIREY FIREFLASH, which was on view at Farnborough this
week, is obviously a very ingenious invention; a credit to its makers, to British workmanship, and to the British aviation industry. But 1 hardly think it was wise of the publicity hand- out to boast that it represents 'as big a technical advance over conventional armament as the aeroplane over the balloon.' An air-to-air guided missile like the Fireflash, after all, can only be used if the aircraft from which it is fired is capable of getting within range of the aircraft at which it is fired. It was quickly found that the Swift, to which it was originally mated, was too slow for this purpose. Instead, the Hunter was chosen. This decision seemed sensible at the time, as tests had shown that when the Hunter fired its conventional weapons—cannon—the damage done had been apt to be greater to the Hunter than to the hunted. Alas! progress in other, potentially hostile, coun- tries has been rapid; the Hunter flies fast, but it has little chance of getting within range of bombers which can fly faster still. New fighters are planned; but I am assured that before they are ready for active service the development of ground-to-air guided missiles will have rendered them obsolescent.
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