Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-10-18

| 1t is considered that since the begin
ming of military aviation in this coun-
try pursuit planes have been invariably
singleSeater biplanes.
LOckheed Pursuit Planes.
| The new pursuiterS are Lockheeds
and they follow in important respects
the design of Col Charles A. Lind
bergh'S Sirius. with which he flew To
| Japan and China. The most important
departure from the Lindbergh design
is change of motive power from radial
air-cooled to fluid-cooled of greatly in
creased horsepower and reduced frontal
area, materially increasing speed.
The LockheedS are to go out on SER
vice test and have been officially desig-
mated as the "Y1P-24" type, Signifying
that they are the twenty fourth type of
pursuit plane procured by the Army
and are out on service test.
. The power plant is a CurtiSS V-157O-F
direct drive, with the normal compress
sion ratio increased to 78 to l, result
ing in an increase of power to rating
OF $50 horsepower ct 2,400 revolutions
| per minute at sea level The contract
price for the five planes including spare
| parts, construction, design and mainte-
nance data, is $l72,6 09.
| Another interesting order is that
/ placed with the CurtisS Airplane &,
Motor Co. for 10 loW-wing attack
planes, together with spare parts and
data. in the sum of $4276l5.
CurtiSS has held a monopoly on at
tack plane construction, all of the
| Army'S present attack ships being Cur
tlSs two-seater biplanes. The new ships
bearing the designation YlA-8, will be
powered with single motors, also of the
V-1570-E type.
New Types Deadly.
They will be terrible weapons against
ground troops, trains, gun nests and
| strong points. They will carry their
deadly loads Of augmentation bombs in
internal bomb bays rather than in racks
under the wings, as has been past praC-
tlce. This change became necessary as
result Of attack-plane tactics which
call for bombing from attitudes as low
as so feet. Bombs dropped horizon
tally from wing racks have little chance
OF twisting to the vertical in so short a
distance so as to strike nose first and
make fuse action certain.
The planes are to be flying fort
reSses, carrying machine guns even in
pants" The fuel tanks will be so
! carried that they may be cut loose and
dropped instantly by the pilot in case
of trouble at low altitude
The Pratt & Whitney Aircraft Co.
Hartford, Conn, was given an order
for 100 Hornet R-1860-B engines. with
spare parts. at a total of $612 1854
These engines are to be installed in
twenty-five 2-engined B-4A keystone
bombers and to provide complete out
fit Of spare motors.
Douglas Orders Large.
All the remaining contracts were
awarded to the Douglas Aircraft Co,
Santa Monica. Calf. They, too, pre-
sent novel features. Three new types
of planes will come out of the Douglas
plant. There are to be five gull wing
monoplanes for observation purposes
five long-range reconnaissance mJno-
planes Of the flying wing type. with
twin motors, and seven monoplane
| bombers, also of the flying wing type.
Douglas will produce the only large
consignment of conventional planes or
dered under the new contracts a total
Of 18 observation planes of the O-38B
type, with spares and data, at a cost
of $201 ,252 These planes will be pow
cred with Pratt & Whitney Hornet mo-
tors and are for the use of National
Guard observation squadrons.
The five gull-wings, to be produced
at a contract price of $l14,60l, are two
seaters Of the high-wing type, for corps
observation work, end are to be equipped
with electrically shielded G1-V-1570-C