AIR ROBOTS

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XVIII, Issue 46, 6 February 1928, Page 8

AIR ROBOTS

‘PLANES STEERED BY RADIO SIGNAL. The wireless-controlled, pilotless airplane seems now to be within the grasp of scientists. British, French and American brains have for long been striving to solve this problem of manless-flight. In Fiance a small airplane has been evolved which carries in its hull a combined receiving and sending wireless set embodying features of the greatst ingenuity. After this machine has flown a short distance it begins to send out automatic wireless signals, which are received bv operators at two ground stations situated some distance apart. These two operators can plot out the course which the machine is taking, and wireless signals keep it flying in the right direction The controls are worked by com-pressed-air motors, which are electrically controlled by the wireless apparatus. Such a system, assuming that it can be perfected and made practical foreshadows one of the greatest of all terrors of th e future. It means that an enemy might launch a fleet of manless bombing machines laden with poison gases, explosives. or incendiary matter. They would be guided to their destination bv wireless, and then, by a final signal, caused to fall by means of the engines being switched off. Accuracy in bombing, under such conditions, could not of course, be ensured, but with a vast target, such as London, this wouTFI not be essential