NEW ARMS OF WAR.

Auckland Star, Volume LI, Issue 290, 4 December 1920, Page 17

NEW ARMS OF WAR.

GREAT BRITAIN'S AERIAL WONDERS.

COMMAND OF THE AIR MEANS CO—3rIAN- OF THE SEA.

Vast naval preparations are going on among tho leading nations of the world, but in much different ways. Clinging to the old line of maritime defence—the line of battleship and its auxiliaries—■ are the United States and Japan. Scrapping the dreadnought idea and developing an entirely new offensive and defensive system are Great Britain and France. War lessons presumably have taught the great iiuropea_ Powers that the battles of the future are to be won by air, submarine and wholly mechanical craft, and the best brains of those nations are devoted to developing such ultra-modern devices.

The lesson learned by the- British Xavy during the war was the almost impassible task of protecting its big battleships (major units). The great battle cruiser Hood set the world's high ■water mark in super-construction, and following the Armistice naval men all over the world expected Britain to build more ships of this type. She did not.

While completing some of the lesoer units which were on the stocks during the war she scrapped the sister ships of the Hood under construction on which _ 1,654,000 had already been expended, and she started on a new programme. It is a. programme of air and submarine defence.

A writer in the Xew Yorik "Herald" observes that the first fruits of her new plan are now ready, but the only ones that have been released for public discuesion are the aeroplanes for troop transport and general naval uses. These are so grandiose that Great Britain's aircraft and submarine creations may foe measured by them.

Indeed, that the British Admiralty was already considering ways of developing other defensive agencies was apparent even when the Hoed was a new ship, for they took no pains to keep •secret anything about her; experts in the United States Navy at .once suspected that the new destructive forces under consideration were likely to modify radically the military value of all armoured battle giants. The opinion of the experts was that about the time of tiie armistice sea aviation liarl reached a point which revolutionized ideas of attack and defence. 'Not only were large fighting ships eqirpped to send aloft airships, but special ships were outfitted to — rye as ocean going bases for nautical air-

The 'British airplane carrier Eagle is one of the latter. Originally des'gned for a warship, owing to the development of airplane fighting in the war it waa transformed into its present shape. There is a huge landing deck, and a hangar deck below. Two squadrons of I a:rplanes, flying from airdrome* on shore, can land -on the deck of this ship and go to sea with it.

A torpedo plane devised by RearAdmiral Bradley A. Fiske as early as 1912 did not rouse interest in the United States Navy Department until in 1915 the success ful British use of it ml ithe Dardanelles almost persuaded some of the members that there might 'be something iin it, says the "Herald." Plainly, was it shown them that torpedoes so brought within reach of their 'targets accomplished .results, iproving that in this form of attack steel clad giants like the Hood would be comparatively easy prey. While Washington officials were not impressed. Germany was, for as early as 1917 that country brought out a seaplane of this character.

In the sham battle between the Royal Air Force and the Navy, authorized since the armistice by the British Admiralty, the decision went to the former branch, and the air force made good its boast by putting hors de combat eeven out of nine of the contending vessels. Indeed the progress seen in the science of aviation since the days of the first success of the Wright brothers looks like only a warming up process in view of the air navigation possibilities of the future, as revealed in connection with the Guildhall Air Conference in London, which Winston Churchill, Secretary of State for War and Air, called the Air Parliament. Here are a few of the aerial developments under experiment or in prospect: Aeroplanes with central engine rooms to which pilots would signal orders as aboard ships, steam turbines for aeroplanes, automatic control, engines or propellers in wings, all metal aeroplanes, aeroplanes equipped to land on small space, enabling the tactical movement of troops in war time; a mooring aeroplane masthead, which has already heen proved satisfactory, one now being built in the Howden plant; the mechanical disposal of ifog, thus clearing the way for flying, and, finally, a pilotless aeroplane controlled by wireless.

Air Vice-Marshal E. L. Ellington, direc-tor-general of supply and —search of the Air Ministry, drew aside the veil hiding British Government efforts in air navigation. His recital which followed amazed even tho most optimistic students of aviation possibilities. He told of aeroplanes which were being designed with two engines in the fuselage, driving two propellers in the wings, with control of the engine in the hands of an engineman who receives his signals from a pilot.

Also he told of a flying machine now under construction with wings so designed that they would contain engines within them. It was even hinted that Diesel engines would .be used in this connection for economy in fuel-

Ground indicators are being developed to enable landing in fog or in darkness ©f night, one of these indicators consisting of an arm under the fuselage which touches the ground and which moves the controls, causing the flying machine to flatten out. Already a number of successful landings have been made by this means.

Two of the most important developments for increasing the safety of passengers and pilots are for the prevention of fires and in the provision of parachutes.

It was revealed that the secret experiments made during the war in connection with a manless aeroplane -were still being carried on, and that tests were being made with the idea tnat aeroplanes might be constructed to carry torpedoes that might be released against battleships, aid also used to ram other aeroplanes in flight. A thousand little points were revealed, showing that the activity of the British iv connection with the development of aerial science was far ahead of that of any other country.