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Part Seven - AIRCRAFT REQUIREMENTS - SCHEME "F" REQUIRED BY 31.3.39. AND ORDERS DECIDED (D. of E. 12.10.36) - Our Timeline
Single Seat Fighters (900 required for 21 squadrons of which all were on requisition)
300 Spitfires required for 7 squadrons and 310 on requisition from Supermarine 08/05/36 - Requirement requisition (10 over provided)
600 Hurricanes required for 14 squadrons and 600 on requisition from Supermarine 08/05/36 - Requirements requisitioned
96 Gladiators required for 4 Dominion squadrons - carried over from Scheme C​
Two Seat Fighters
389 Hawker Hotspur required for 9 squadrons and 389 on requisition from Avro 08/05/36 - Requirements requisitioned​
Army Co-operation (370 to equip 13 squadrons of which 244 on requisition and 126 still required)
164 Hectors required for 7 squadrons (one regular, 4 auxiliary and 2 dominions) less 64 brought forward from Scheme C = 100 on requisition from Westland on 28/04/35 - Requirements requisitioned
186 Westland A.39/34 required for 4 squadrons of which 144 on requisition from Westland 16/06/36 - 42 still required
84 Blenheims required for 2 squadrons of which none on requisition - 84 still required​
Bomber Transports
80 Bristol C.26/31 required for 2 squadrons on requisition from Short Harland & Wolf 11/09/36 - Requirements requisitioned​
Heavy Bombers (512 required for 20 squadrons of which 240 on requisition and 272 still required)
102 Harrows required for 3 squadrons brought forward from Scheme C
306 Whitleys required for 9 squadrons less 66 brought forward from Scheme C = 240 on requisition from Armstrong Whitworth 24/04/36 - Requirements requisitioned
272 B.9/32 aircraft required for 8 squadrons - none on requisition - a further 272 required​
Medium Bombers (2,537 required for 50 squadrons of which all were on requisition)
1,491 Battles required for 26 squadrons (15 regular, 11 auxiliary and 2 dominion) less 128 brought forward from Scheme C = 1,363 - Requirements requisitioned
500 on requisition from Fairey 24/04/36
863 on requisition from Austin (Shadow) 30/06/36​
938 Blenheims required for 14 squadrons less 124 brought forward from Scheme C = 814 - Requirements requisitioned
434 Bristol on requisition 31/07/36
380 Rootes (Shadow) on requisition 31/07/36​
180 Handley Page B.9/32 required for 4 squadrons on requisition from Handley Page 27/07/36 - Requirements requisitioned
180 Vickers B.9/32 (Wellington) required for 4 squadrons on requisition from Vickers 27/07/36 - Requirements requisitioned​
General Purpose and Light bombers
159 Wellesley required for 5 squadrons (3 G.P. and 2 L.B.) less 79 brought forward from Scheme C = 80 on requisition from Vickers 26/06/36 - Requirements requisitioned​
General Reconnaissance, General Purpose and Torpedo Bomber (1,002 required for 24 1/3 squadrons of which 674 on requisition and 328 still required)
354 General Reconnaissance aircraft required to equip 9 squadrons (3 Main Force and 9 Overseas) - Requirements requisitioned
134 Bristol 149 (10/36) from Bristol on requisition 31/07/36
220 Bristol 149 (10/36) Rootes on requisition 31/07/36​
84 General Reconnaissance or General Purpose (in place of Fighter-Bomber) required for 2 1/3 squadrons - Type not decided
84 still required. To be selected from Bristol 149 or 152 or Blackburn in April 1937
564 Blackburns T.B.G.R. or Bristol 152 required to equip 13 squadrons (4 Main Force G.R., 2 Main Force T.B., 5 Overseas T.B. and 2 Overseas (G.P.) of which 320 on requisition and a further 244 required.
78 Bristol 152 on requisition 07/08/36
242 Blackburn-Boulton & Paul on requisition 16/09/36​
Flying Boats (32 required for 6 squadrons all of which were on requisition)
21 Short R.2/33 required to equip 2 squadrons of which 11on requisition from Short 02/06/36 and 10 on requisition from Short 01/10/36 - Requirement requisitioned - Requirements requisitioned
6 Stranraer required to provide the War Reserve and Maintenance Reserve for 2 squadrons on requisition from Supermarine 03/04/36
5 London required to provide the War Reserve and Maintenance Reserve for 2 squadrons on requisition from Saunders Roe 03/04/36​
708 Fleet Air Arm Aircraft all of which on requisition 06/06/36. (646 for the FAA, 97 for training units and 20 Swordfish for spotting)
190 Blackburn O.27/34 on requisition from Blackburn
15 Fairey Light Bombers on requisition from Fairey
200 Torpedo Spotter Reconnaissance aircraft
50 Shark on requisition from Blackburn
150 Swordfish on requisition from Fairey
100 Fairey O.8/36 D.B.R. aircraft
135 Blackburn O.30/35 on requisition from Blackburn [later changed to 136 from Boulton Paul]
168 Walrus on requisition from Supermarine

The War training reserve has to be added. Provisional figure about 100. 100 D.B.R. (or T.S.R.) still required to be decided when designs are further advanced.​
Training Aircraft (Peace Establishment)
250 Single-Engine trainers (De Havilland T.6/36) on requisition from De Havilland 28/06/36
136 Twin-Engine trainer (Airspeed Envoy) on requisition from Airspeed 15/07/36
250 Armament trainers (Hawker P.4/34), but 400 aircraft on requisition from Gloster 01/07/36 - 150 in excess of requirements
90 Elementary trainers (Miles Hawk) on requisition from Phillips & Powis 01/10/36
45 Communications aircraft (Miles Night Hawk) on requisition, but the manufacturer and date of requisition were not given.​

Total 771 aircraft required but 921 on requisition (150 in excess or requirements). However, a large part of the War Training Reserve has to be added.​

SUB TOTAL 7,481 aircraft required of which 6,815 on requisition (including 160 over requisitioned) leaving 826 to be requisitioned for service.

War Training Reserve, probably 2,100 aircraft as follows:

450 Elementary trainers
250 Single-Engine Service trainers
1,300 Twin-Engine Trainers​

However, that adds up to 2,000 aircraft, not 2,100 aircraft. The difference is the 100 F.A.A. War Training Reserve aircraft.

GRAND TOTAL 9,581 aircraft, which after the 160 over-requisitioned aircraft are added equals 9,741 aircraft.


The operational aircraft would equip 154 1/3 squadrons as follows:
124 Main Force (i.e. the Metropolitan Air Force)
20 1/3 Overseas
2 India
8 Dominions​

However, the same document said that the Overseas Commands would have 29 1/3 squadrons and India 8 squadrons. The balance of 15 squadrons were to be equipped with older aircraft.

Source: National Archives File Air.20/67

Completed 17:14 GMT 09/03/17

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