DEATH FROM THE AIR.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 17527, 2 May 1925, Page 2

DEATH FROM THE AIR.

TERRIBLE WEAPON OF WAR. AEROPLANE WITHOUT PILOT. Hitherto incredible stories of French aircraft inventions—“ demon ” aeroplanes, without pilots, steered wirelessly from far-off to port or starboard, up or down, dropping irresistible and exterminating bombs or gases on towns and cities at the will of the distant radio operator—are now. says the “ Daily Chronicle ” in February, taking official form. It is true that the “ hush-hush ” part of these infernal powers of the air is not revealed. But the French experts who believe in the future of the craft—and there is said to be one in full working—present a picture of a potential reign of terror surpassing the wildest visions of the destruction of Doomsday. “ It is the human will, the power to act, transmitted and given effect to through space!” So one of the great technicians describes this weird apparatus. The machine is a final solution of tho problem of purely automatic. manless flight; of the dream of inventors of a machine which, guided infallibly from the ground, without any human hand at its controls, shall rush vast distances through the air, rising or descending, wheeling or turning, just as though a pilot sat up there. Although other nations besides France have been working secretly toward this goal, the greatest authorities in France affirm that this machine is the most advanced scientifically in the world, and that it is sufficient in itself, when produced and used in last numbers, to give the nation that possesses it an annihilating victory, within only a few hours, in any great aerial struggle. Metallic equivalents of the human brain, and of human nerves, muscles and fingers, are possessed by this amazing assemblage of intricate parts, some of which have occupied twelve months in their design, construction and perfection. “ INFALLIBLE STABILITY.” Supported by curved wings, and with I an automatic engine which operates a 1 whirling screw, the manless air machine will, after a short run. rise arid soar, the apparatus within its hull comprising a series of gyroscopes, operating its control-surfaces, which ensure infallible stability in all conditions. Watching the machine as it climbs is an operator on the ground, who sits at a. wireless switchboard. Placing his fingers on keys and depressing them, he can make’the distant machine turn either to the right or left. The tap of another key will send it climbing steeply, and the pressure of yet another will bring it earthward in a sharp dive. Nor is this all. What the experts call. “ the ultimate triumph ” is a power of controlling and guiding the I pilotless plane after it has passed far beyond human vision. How this is done—the actual details —is the “ hush-hush ” part of the whole affair. What is understood, however, is that as soon as it has passed a certain distance on its course this manless machine begins «,to send out. from an automatic transmitter in its hull, a stream of wireless signals, which are received by ground operators. .and permit the. position of the machine in the sky, many miles away, to be followed accurately from minute to minute. If it should be found to be deviating from its course, the ground operators. though the machine may be invisible to them, can send a signal to it by wireless which, duly received by its “ brain,” is conveyed to its controls, and affects rudders or elevators in the desired way. USE AT IMMENSE HEIGHTS. Laden with poisofi gas in war. such pilotless planes will be the most terrible of all weapons. They can be produced rapidly in vast numbers, and their engines and air-screws can be adapted to function efficiently at immense heights. Streams of them, passing high through the upper air, can be steered until they arrive over the target provided by some great centre of population. Then at the tap of the key of a far-distant operator, their motors can l>e stopped and they can be made to dive with loads of poison gas upon streets and houses. Land defences would be impotent against streams of such projectiles. Even if high-flying airmen succeeded in shooting some of them down before they reached their objective, they could be dispatched in such numbers, day and night, that the destruction of a , certain proportion of them would not save from a fearful fa to the densely- | populated areas against which they were directed. War is accepted as a game of move and counter-move. Against any new weapon it has been reckoned, so far, that some effective defence can bo obtained. But what is the defence against great fleets of these winged bombs, raining death' remorselessly from on high in the upper air?