The Birmingham age-herald., 1923-12-02
J. {. ANT|-AIR GUN |S MOST P0WE RF u
New Weapon Fires 500 Shots a Minute-Another Has
 30,000-Foot Altitude

WASHINGTON. Dec. 1.-Aviators in the next war will do well to fly high. Four new types of anti aircraft guns now being developed by the coast artillery will provide greater range and more destructive power than ever before obtained from this type of weapon.
 The first of the new guns, as re- vealed in the annual report of Maj. Gen. F. W. Coe, chief of coast ar- tillery, is a 50-caliber machine gun firing 500 shots a minute, with "a horizontal range of 27.000 feet and a perpendicular range of from 5000 to feet at night.
 The second weapon is S7-mm. machine gun, firing high explosive shells with fuses so delicately ad- justed that the shells, while safe to handle before firing, explode on con tact with balloon fabric once they have been discharged from the gun. The gun will fire 120 shots minute, has a straight up range of 14000 feet, and tracer ammunition visible up to 10000 feet. These weapons will be installed in batteries of four, each battery operating with 8 single telescopic sight control and being trained and fired by single gunner. 3S.OOO-Foot Horizontal Range.
 The third gun Is 8 S-inch weapon on mobile mount, firing Is shots a minute. effective up to 21,00o feet, and with a 360-degree traverse, al- lowing the gunner to follow his tar get In any direction. The horizontal range is 3S,000 feet The projectiles weigh 15 pounds and contain heavy bursting charge. This weapon is now under test at army proving grounds.
 Gun No. is the 47-inch. firing a .l, oil tude of about 3o.000 feet. It Is mounted on a mobile carriage with full traverse and is equipped for power loading with an automatic breechblocE to speed up firing.
 General Coe reported the strength of the coast artillery corps as Hess than at any time since 1901," said de- creases in enlisted personnel '1eave many of our fortified harbors prac- ticallv without any protection" and asked congressional action to remedy the situation.
 More Officers Needed.
 Major General Patrick, chief of the army air service. in his annual report to Secretary Weeks. said the service needs more officers and more en- listed men. and Its flying fields are sadly deflicent in permanent build ings needed to replace the rapidly
  ing the war. Appropriations, he con tinued, were entirely inadequate for replacement of equipment or for keeping up with engineering and re- search development.
 The majority of the aircraft now on hand were produced during the war. declared General Patrick, and are rapidly failing. while at least so per cent of the airplanes are of an obsolescent training tyne unsuitable for combat purposes. An immediate new program Is absolutely essential. he said, since it takes about IS months to obtain delivery of equip ment after contract has been ex- ecuted.
 The navy department announced plans for an aviation resaSve sys- tenn which will train from. 150 to 200 flyers annually. A unit will be established in each naval district where public interest is shown. Each unit will have two training planes and will be commanded by reserve officer called to active duty.