British ventilator consortium targeting 1,500 units per week

A consortium of British engineers, aerospace and Formula One companies are hoping to produce at least 1,500 ventilators a week within a matter of weeks, it said on Thursday.

Companies including Airbus, Ford, Rolls-Royce and BAE have come together with seven Formula One teams to ramp up production of two existing ventilators made by Penlon and Smiths Group in Britain.

The companies answered a call by Prime Minister Boris Johnson for industry to help build life-saving equipment ahead of the peak of the coronavirus outbreak.