A Worthy Cause

SINCE the critical days immediately prior to the Second World War when Sir Robert Watson‐Watt and his team of research workers successfully applied the principles of radiolocation, Britain has remained in the van of world development and production of radar for both military and civil purposes. The same statement might be applied generally to British endeavour in the wider field of aviation electronics and here, as many leaders within the industry have been quick to point out, is an export ideally suited to this country. The principal requirements for success with these types of products are not vast industrial resources and large quantities of raw materials but inventive genius and readily available capital to exploit new discoveries by rapid development and production. It is generally acknowledged that we have rich reserves of the former, and with generous Government backing for military projects in the past we have been able to keep pace with developments in other countries. However, there is now an indication that the Government intends to achieve short term economies in national expenditure by buying foreign products off the shelf for military applications instead of providing money for the development of suitable British electronic equipment.