AEROPLANES IN WAR

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2254, 14 September 1914, Page 8

AEROPLANES IN WAR

: THEIR LIMITATIONS NO STANDARDISED AIR FLEETS. Discussing Ijhe military possibilities of the aeroplane in a recent issue of "Tho . World's Work," Mr. Jas. Armstrong re; marked- that..it suffered at present so many disabilities that it might be a handicap: instead of a service. The French nation was tho first seriously to consider the aeroplane as an engine of war. Official and public enthusiasm enabled an imposing (tying fleet to bo built and organised;.- Germany followed saiit, and subsequently Great Britain and the United States- of America were forced to emulate'the example. But the -les-sons which had been learned 'in connection with the organisation and perfection of navies were suffered to pass ' unobserved. Tho factors of homogeneity and standardisation ; were overlooked. The result is that the leading have established aerial fleets which are deficient in cohesion. No country would be able to dispatch an aeroplane fleet with, any feeling of confidence. The units are of varying design, radius of action, speeds, and carrying capacity. If they Here called upon to act in concert, operations would depend upon the maximum pace of the slowest vessel. There are no homogeneous compact, and sufficiently jKNverf.ul divisions. The character of the air fleets to-day recalls the situation that prevailed > among navies two or three decades ago. Each vessel of tho division was a The latest recruit possessed speed, but the advantage, was nullified becauso it was unable to move .faster than the slowest ship in its combination;

Destruction from the Air. _ "As a weapon of offence the aeroplane is an 'unknown quantity. Destruction from .the air is' mostly limited to property. Recently considerable discussion has waged round tho vulnerability of .London to aerial attack. But the demolition of buildings is not likely. ,to affect ' the struggle between the invaders and defenders one iota. 'It is' quite true that immense injury could be inflicted in this way by damaging food and ammunition stores —if they were located and struck —hut it is : a moot point whether it would exercise any permanent effect upon'the actual forces engaged. Such destruction might exercise a/ demoralising tendency; on the other hand it might produce just) the opposite result. At the moment the cities ind towns of every Power are* exposed to aerial attack irrespective of the situation of the. forces. " Raiding Possibilities. "The possibility of travelling 1000 miles by aeroplane, which has been 1 accomplished in Germany, opens up quite a new vista in raiding operations, "and is by ho means confined to one side. A defending force having an aeroplane fleet is able to play havoc with the' propertyf'of tho invaders by penetrating their .domains. Running tho blockade through the air would . add an element of excitement, in which' Warfare hithor!to'has.'been lacking, and the .outcome of which would ba problematical and-pos-sibly somewhat startling. . -•".Considerable ingenuity has been displayed 1 in the-perfection of ways and means of dropping .projectiles from ;aloft. The aerial grenade, the. aeroplane quick-firer, 1 and the flying sniper have come to the fore during the last few months..... . Tests with the aerial grenade have not been very satisfactory up "to the _ present; the devastation wrought with such a misaile has not been commensurate with the : charge of explosive expended; a, pound of guncotton carefully planted in the ground is more destructive than a similar quantity dropped from 1000 feet above, even if the latter should succeed in 'striking tho .■object. The aeroplane' quickfirer and the sniper are also suffering from severe disadvantages. The pace of the machine, vibration and tho difficulty of focusing tho range from aloft, are factors which aro not easily overcome. Sighting must ba quick, judgment,rapid, and action instantaneous. Snap-shooting under aeria' conditions must be more trying than under land conditions, especially ■as such' aggressive tactics must he confined to opposing aerial craft, which .also aro moving rapidly, probably at long range, and thereby offering a small target. Attack is also limited by another factor—the h'mited; weight 'of ammunition which the aeroplane can carry. The omnibus flying machine he 2 changed this aspect to a profound degree, but it. must be borne in mind that as the vessel'is given greater carrying capacity so are its dimensions aiid bulk increased, thereby rendering it a. larger target, "and"correspondingly easier to hit. ■ ■

"The genera! military opinion is that the military, aeroplane of the future will be a small liglit machine, offering the minimum' area for hostile fire, of extremely high- speed, quick in turning, easy to handle, and having-a minimulii radius of action of 800 miles. Such a machine will prove an. efficient scout, as it will bo able to keep in touch •withits base by means of wireless telegraphy will be ablo-to pass rapidly between headquarters and the sceno of action and yet possess/ample fuel resources to carry out its work of recounaisanc® completely." Progress in Britain. The British military authorities havo been accused of neglecting the possibilities of the aeroplane as a lighting unit, and ■ allowing themselves to be outstripped in the development of .an air fleet by rival Powers, but the present position is modified by the fact that two years represents the aeroplane's average span of reliable'existence. "Recently the British authorities have secured one or two notable improvements in aerial tractioii.. One of these concerns a most vital issue in aeronautics— the ability to ascend and descend vertically. A British inventor has solved this problem, and the results have proved highly satisfactory. ' He has also brought noiselessness within the range of practicability. When the vessel is aloft the quick ear can detect nothing but a subdued humming—the music of the rapidly-rotating propeller. Another point which has hitherto baffled ini'entivo effort has also been achieved. This is the capacity—within certain limits—to hover in the air—the ability to maintain an absolutely stationary position in the air has not been solved, but tho inventor has come nearer, the realisation of this condition than any previous worker in this field.

A Recent Machine. t "The machine is probably tho smallest which has been contrived yet for aerial work, is light, thqugh of substantial construction, and complies with tho exigencies of portability. It is purely and simply a military aeroplane, and unfitted for any fluty other than scouting and reconnoitring. To compel its compliance with the requirements would destroy many of its virtues, as weight and dimensions would have to be increased. Tho designer is a, well-known inventor, and tho machino is stated by competent authorities wlio havo been brought into contact with its construction, to represent tho greatest advance that has been made in aviation during tho past few years."