Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-06-09
.HE next addition to the
Army's line of military air
planes will be an exceed

Army's line OF military air
planes will be an exceed
a ingly fast twin-motored re-
connaisSance plane capable OF
flying at tremendous attitudes
and over great distances. The new
type, which will supplement the
present observation squadronS. is
regarded as essential because OF
developments since the World
War.
The shortcomings of the present
observation plane for long range
Photographic reconnaissance work
and adequate radio communica-
ton service behind the fighting
zones were made keenly apparent
during the recent Army Air Corps
maneuverS in Ohio.
The twin motored plane is well
along in the development stage
The Army Air Corps has made
some very definite recommended
lions as to the type of plane re-
quired. On the basis of these pre-
liminary specifications designs
and models have been submitted
by the CurtiSs, Fokker, Douglas,
Martin, Keystone and Consoli-
dated companies.
While the details of these de-
signs are closely guarded military
secrets, it is no secret that the
performance indicated by the
manufacturers for the new ships
will open entirely new fields of
operation in the air. The pro-
posed reconnaissance planes,
though they will be used for OBJ
Servation work, are not to be con-
fused with the observation ships
now in use. They will not sup
plant the observation type.
It is the hope of Air Corps tao
tical experts to obtain a type of
plane which can operate at ex-
treme attitudes, entirely above the
range of the fighting ships. The
reconnaissance planes will be
stripped to the bare essentials in
order to attain altitude. De-
fenSive equipment will be almost
negligible. No offensive equip
ment of any description will be
carried.
Operate at Great Height.
It will be the mission of the re-
connaiSSance ship to obtain in
formation of large scale enemy
operations tar behind the battle
lines. Detailed observation will
not be attempted and the mission
will be executed from such ire
mendouS attitudes that the planes
will be invisible and inaudible
from the ground.
The planes will operate ION
their own" They will not be &C
companied by protective pursuit
plane formations, since their field
of operations will be so far behind
the enemy lines as to prohibit
such conveys. The reconnaissance
pilot must rely upon the ability
of his plane to outclimb the
enemy to save his skin.
The crew of the plane, in addi-
ton to the pilot, will include a
skilled observer and photographer
and possibly a radio man. Much
of the value of the plane will rest
in it's ability to maintain con-
tinuouS radio communication with
its Army headquarters. Visual OBJ
servation will be supplemented by
photography.
Retain Present Plane Types.
For detailed observation work
over the enemy lines planes of
much the present type will be re-
quired. These ships will operate
at lower attitudes, since they must
deal with detailed operations on
the ground below. For protection
they will rely upon speed and their
own defensive equipment of four
machine guns.
While the reconnaissance
planes will deal with such gen.
eral activities as railroad con-
centration and industrial plants,
the observation planes must cope
with such detailed operations as
individual truck and tank move
ments, troop concentrations, gun
emplacementS and field concen-
tration points in the immediate
zone of battle operations.
While the present type of OBJ
servation plane has become fairly
we'll standardized, such improve
mentS as increased speed, greater
carrying capacity, which means
better cameras and radio equip
ment, and more powerful de-
fenSive equipment are regarded as
necessary. For this reason the
Army is continuously seeking
more specialized types of OBJ
servation ships.
The latest experimental obser-
walton plane, an all-metal radial-
motored Thomas Morse job, was
attached to a Douglas observa-
tion squadron at Norton Field,
Columbus, during the Ohio ma
neuverS. Though the ban of mill
tary secrecy cloaks the perform
ance of new aircraft, it was
learned that the new ship has a
cruising speed of better than 125
miles per hour and can outfly,
outclimb and outmaneuver other
ships of its temporary squadron.
A new CurtiSs observation plane