AIR MENAGE

Evening Star, Issue 20685, 7 January 1931, Page 10

AIR MENAGE

NAVY'S COUNTER MOVE NEW GUN PERFECTED Successful trials by the Admiralty of an improved typo of anti-aircraft gun tor use at sea and on land are reported by tho ‘ Daily Telegraph’s' naval correspondent. The new weapons, ho points out, take the form of multiple machine guns of considerable dimensions. The rate ot fire is extremely rapid, and the projectiles are large enough to stop any aeroplanes that ily into the constant stream. These guns will soon be mounted on board ships of the fleet, and will eventually be adopted to increase the aerial defences of cities and docks. It is. predicted by tho same paper’s aeronautical correspondent that the new guns may cause a complete re-estimate of the powers of aircraft in low flying attacks on targets. It is expected that Great Britain’s defences against aircraft on sea and laud will be revolutionised by the introduction of the new t3 T pe of gun, which has passed successfully through its trials. The new weapons will go a Jong way towards strengthening the defence of tho ships against all forms of attack from aircraft, and will so remove a menace which was at one time considered to be extremely serious. The new guns, when eventually adapted for land use, will increase the aerial defences of cities and dockyards. There are two types —one having eight and the other four barrels. EXPERTS SATISFIED.

, Great secrecy is naturally being maintained as to tho methods employed for aiming the new guns and for controlling their mountains. These questions have been thrashed out in a long series of trials which have extended over several years, and the naval gunnery experts are now satisfied that they have produced a weapon which will fulfil practically all their requirements. It is known that foreign navies have been working on the same lines for some time. Tho obvious counter to aeroplanes, especially low ilying torpedo and bombing planes attacking ships at sea, is a constant stream of shells large enough to destroy them, yet small enough to enable an extremely rapid rate of fire to bo maintained. These qualities have been cmnbined in tho now guns, and tho Admiralty is congratulated on so successfully surmounting the largo number of technical and scientific difficulties with which it has been faced during the development of the weapons. During recent manoeuvres at sea it was noticeable that responsible naval ollicors viewed with complete equanimity tlio spectacular attacks made by aircraft upon their ships. This was because they knew that, were it possible to take counter measures, there would be a different tale to tell. Now that the new guns are being introduced there will he an even greater feeling that aircraft can be driven off or shot down before they can do serious damage. “DEADLY.”

No weapon more deadly to low-flying aircraft has ever been produced than the new multi-barrelled gun, says the ‘ Daily Mail’s ’ aeronautical correspondent. Fast aeroplanes hitherto could fly with safety over heavy guns, and the risks they, ran from machine guns in emplacements on the grounds were not sufficient to deter them from approaching their objectives. But it may bo impossible for even the fastest aeroplane flown as close to the ground as possible to approach a target defended with a battery of the new guns without being shot down on the way. It is speed of fire, high muzzle velocity, and rapid means of traversing and elevating that are needed, above all things, in an anti-aircraft gun designed to bring down low-flying machines. In all these features the new gun excels.

During the war tho most effective attacks on aerodromes were low-flying attacks. In the recent air exercises low-flying attacks were constantly employed by the commander of “lied” Colony’s air forces. Had the “ Blue ” aerodromes been armed with tho new anti-aircraft gun a different complexion would have been put upon tho “ lied ” attacks. EASY MARKS. For the defence of ships against torpedo carriers tho new gun should.be no less effective, and it seems tp have been for this purpose that it was primarily designed. Torpedo ’planes fly low before dropping their torpedoes, and they should then offer an easy mark for the anti-aircraft gunners in tho ship. If the new gun proves as successful as is expected, it is difficult to see what ,reply to it aircraft builders will be able to devise. Armoured aircraft have been tried, but were not conspicuously successful. The most likely reply seems to lie in greatly improved speed and ability to manoeuvre. A further attempt is to be made to evolve an aerial artillery machine, carrying guns of slightly larger calibre than the ordinary machine gun. Attempts to produce a machine of this type were made during tho war, hut they were not successful.

Now, with new aircraft capable of lifting much greater weights, it is thought that there is more chance of success. For fighting between aircraft there is, as yet, no object in using larger

guns than machine guns, because aeroplanes do not carry armour. They can bo destroyed with machine gun bullets as well as with larger shells. In fact, in air battle the decisive factor is rate of (ire and not weight of projectile. In attacking ground targets, however, the circumstances are different. The accuracy which is obtainable with a gun firing directly forward or directly backward is of value, but machine gun bullets are often too light to do much damage to ground emplacements. Therefore it is thought by some gunnery officers that there is a case for the larger gun, perhaps firing a 2in shell. The difficulties of mounting such guns in aircraft are great, but it is thought that they may now be overcome. The Westland Aircraft Company has already produced a gun-carrying aircraft with a forward turret, and developments of this machine may be expected in tho near future'. At present little can be said of the precise direction of this progress, for the subject is regarded by the Air Ministry as secret.