ENEMY AIRCRAFT

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume 76, 13 September 1941, Page 5

ENEMY AIRCRAFT

SECRETS DISCOVERED SCRUTINY OF PERFORMANCE CAPTURED MACHINES FLOWN London, Aug. 13. ; Every type of enemy aircraft which 1 fells into our hands while flying over England is sent to technical experts of the Ministry of Aircraft Production and dismantled for close examination. The engines, when not seriously dam- , aged, are removed, and at the Royal i Aircraft Establishment arc stripped, scrutinised, reassembled, and put j through bench tests. Facts which may prove important are obtained about the power output, the fuel consumption, the working of the two-speed supercharger, and comparative tests with th • nearest British quivalent provide data for calculating engine performance at height. Dimensions are also taken, and an analysis is made of the fuel and oil found in i the German aircraft's tanks. Specimens of captured machines are reconditioned and flown by Royal Air Force I test pilots. A short while ago a Messerschmitt IO9F. a fighter of the latest class in service with the German Air Force, was forced down and landed virtually I intact in the South of England. It was at once handed over to the Ministry i of Aircraft Production. The workman- . 'hip and finish were good, though certain features suggested that the manj hours required in its manufacture must j h less than in that of British fighters. ; One feature which was revealed by 1 the dismantling was the new bulletproof fuel tank. This is made of a completely flexible material supported on j ti e outside by a plywood structure. In '.lie older Me. .erschmitt 109 the armaj ment consists of two machine-guns mounted above the engine and one j cannon fitted inside each wing. On the latest Messerschmitt the two j:: chine uns are fitted in the same wav, but there is only one cannon. Thi« >•** a 20mm Muu.-er. and it fires through ( the airscrew hubs. It is electrically cocked and fired and 200 rounds are caiTied. This reducti nin armament ! i as been made to save weight and to give the aircraft a good performance ■ at great heights. Tests of the engine and the fact that a new high-pressure type of oxygen equipment is installed showed that the main aim of the enemy was to have a lighter capable of flying fast at very great altitudes. Whether he has really succeeded. Royal Air Force test pilots will discover when they try the machine.