THE AEROPLANE IN FUTURE WARS.

Evening Post, Volume LXXXIII, Issue 26, 31 January 1912, Page 10

THE AEROPLANE IN FUTURE WARS.

♦ EUROPEAN ARMY PREPARATIONS. One of the first visible results of the Moroccan affair and the experience of actual war in Tripoli is a prompt decision in each of the principal European nations to make greater use of aerial craft for military scouting (writes a London correspondent). France has added to its already large equipment 100 Bleriot monoplanes. 50 Broguet biplanes, several Niouport and Deperdussin monoplanes, and a few machines^ of other types. Italy has ordered 50 Niouport machines in Franco, and is alßo acquiring a stocky of ' Etrich monoplanes from Aiißtria. Turkey is establishing a military aviation department in a hurry, stimulated by the recont uso of monoplanes against its troops in Tripoli. Russia and Germany aro both increasing their supply of flying machines as fast as possible. - The # Germans are behind France and Italy in this' new competition, partly through their temporary enthusiasm for the airship, but they are now endeavouring to take the leading place. Having the largest effective army in Europe, they say they must have the largest "fleet" of aerial craft. Thepr aro willing to borrow ideas from their rivals, but they make it a condition that any- foreign firm to whioh they give orders must establish ' a factory in Germany. In this way due attention- is paid to German .sentiment and business principles. In the meantime, however, some further experiments with airships are j in progress. Though the "Gorman military authorities now recognise that the aeroplane is the right thing for scouting owing to its high speed, its cheapness, its portability, the comparative ease with which it cah be handled in difficult ai' currents, and the small chance it offers to the bullets of an enemy, they believe that dirigible ballons of the Zeppelin typo can be improved upon, and ultimately made more useful than they are at present as carriers of men and explosives. A report from Berlin states- that the military department there has under consideration a proposal to order construction of several huge vessels, capable of ' carrying large quantities of explosives and big lighting crews. Plans have been 1 submitted by Messrs. Schleibinger and Wetzel for an airship to be built on the rigid system, similar' to the Zeppelins, with a capacity of 3,500,000 cubic feet." It will "carry 300 men, and will, be engined to give an estimated speed of 25 yards per second." Before the end of 4912 Germany and France will havo a large number of aeroplanes ready for use on their respectivo frontier stations. Their example will be followed by Italy, Austria, and Rui6ia. And the British War Ofnco-^what is' it doing? It is still engaged chiefly in promising "great, developments" in tho immediate iuture. The French Government has recently 6pent about- £50,000 in prizes for the encouragement of local manufacturers and inventors of aeroplanes. They now lead the world on their own lines in -skill and enterprise. It has been suggested to the British War Office tnal, as we are behind all of the other great European Powers in the use of aeroplanes, we should get in a stock of 'the best French machines at oncfe, and aesist the British manufacturers afterwards. Tho-vWar Office prefers to hope that something better than any of the machines available can be invented. So it i» offering prizes for the ideal aeroplane, and competitions are to be held in the course of -the , next few months. The prize 6 will bo , open ' to and British makers alike, but the products of the latter aro to be given specially favourable attention if they come up to requirements. The foreigners will probably take nearly all of the prizes, and the limit of the War Office exports' choice will be about what it is, at present. It may bo anticipated that French monoplanes will bo 'the' principal- machines ultimately chosen for the new army aviation department. "Andro Beaumont/ the French naval 'officer who won the £10,000 prize in England a few months ago, has just published an interesting book on aviation. "Tho monoplane," he '6ays, "is actually the king of, the air. It flies iv wind, rain — indeed, urall weather's."