Trench and camp. [volume] (Augusta, Ga.) 1917-1919, 1918-06-12
BROWNING GUN is
SUCCESSFUL. I'M AlRPLANE
PROPELLER TEST

The following statement is authorized
by the War Department:
, The Browning machine gun has sue
cessfully undergone a test to determine
its value for use with aircraft. This is
one of three types of machine guns with
which the rate of fire can be so synchro-
, nized with the revolutions of the pro-
peller Of tractor airplane that the gun
can be fired by the pilot of a combat
plane through the revolving blades. Fir
ing in that fashion, it is necessary to aim
directly at the target. The direction of
| the plane gives direction to the fire and
the pilot can fire the machine gun while
, controlling the plane.
Connected With Engine.
Airplane propeliers revolve at from 800
to 1000 revolutions per minute The ma
chine gun is connected with the airplane
engine by mechanical or hydrauIic de-
vice, and impulses from the crank shaft
are transmitted to the machine gun. The
rate of fire of the machine gun is con-
slant and its fire is synchronibed with
| the revolving propeller blades by vast
| ing certain percentage of the i'm
pulses trip or pull the trigger so that the
gun fires just at the fraction of the sec
! ono when the propeller blades are clear
/ of the line of fire.
| The pilot operates the gun by means of
a levr which controls the circuit and al
lows the impulses to trip the trigger.
| Severe Test Given Gun.
! The test given the Browning gun was
severe. A gun was mounted on the frame
| of an American combat plane and con-
! nected with the airplane engine. The test
was conducted on the ground and in
place OF the propeller metal disk was at
! tached to the crank shaft. The Brown
| ing speeds from 400 to 1000 revolutions
per minute The slightest hang fire"
or delay in action on the part of the gun
| would have been shown by the failure
: of the bullets to hit precisely on the spot
on the disk representing the center of
the zone of fire. The gun functioned per-
fectly.
The Browning gun to be used with air
craft is the heavy type with the water
jacket removed.
Win Also Use Marlin Gun. /
| Besides the Browning, the United
| States will also employ the Marlin air.
/ Several thounsand of these have been
manufactured and the gun is in quantity
production
The British and French use the Vickers
as as ynchronibed machine gun.
! The Lewis aircraft machine gun is used
| by the British, French and American
| forces, but for a different purpose. In
! two-seated combat plane, fixed machine
guns aer mounted forward to be operated
| by the pilot and flexible guns are mounted
to be operated by the observer in the rear
seat of the plane. The observer operates
Lewis guns on flexible mounts, firing to
| right or left of &he plane.
! II is of vital Importance to have abso-
| lutte reliability of function in a synchro-
| nized machine gun on tractor airplanes.
Delays In fire or malfunctions due to
/ faulty construction imperfect annuni-
ton causes bullets to strike the propeller
| blades. AS many as IS bullets have been
known to strike propeller blade with
| out causing an airplane to fall, but the
danger of such occurrences Is neverthe-
| less obvious. For that reason, every eff
| fort is made to provide the most perfect
| type of weapon for this work. Only spe-
| ciaiiy selected ammunition is used.