Evening star., 1941-05-15
U. 5. Building Planes
To Meet Conditions
Revealed in Warfare
Design, Armament, Speed
And Ceiling Improved
In Latest Models
BY JOSEPH S. EDGERTON.


Experience written in fire over the
skies of Europe is being translated
into new American pursuit and in
terceptor airplares now beginning
to come off the production lines or
approaching the close of the design
and experimental stage and nearing
production.
Summarizing the progress of two
years in American pursuit plane de-
sign, under the influence of war
pressure abroad, aviation leaders
pointed out today that speeds have
been increased from 1923 miles per
hour to approximately 400 miles per
hour At the same time fire-power,
woefully weak two years ago, in the
light of British experience, has been
tremendously strengthened and all
around performance of these hard
hitting combat airplanes has been
greatly increased
Armed, two years ago, with two
to four machine guns, Americas
wasps of the air now carry as sting
ers six to eight guns and some have
additional armament of hell-fring
aerial cannon capable of blasting
enemy aircraft out of the sky at
ranges of a mile or more.
Speed Stepped Up.
At the beginning of the present
emergency period in American air.
craft production, shortly after Mu-
mich, the top speed of the fastest
pursuit airplane in service in the
United States was 1923 miles per
hour, according to officials of the
Aeronautical Chamber of Com
merce. Today at least five American
pursuit models are credited with
maximum speeds in the vicinity of
400 miles per hour.
The chamber emphasized the re-
cent disclosure of Robert A. Lovett,
Assistant Secretary of War for Avi-
alton, that at least 10 entirely new
pursuit planes, beyond those al
ready in production, have been de-
signed in this country and that
within three or four months Amer
lean aeronautical equipment will
have no equal anywhere in the
world"
The fire power of these airplanes
"a factor until recently sharply
criticized by the British in their
comments on American fighters
will be more than adequate" it was
pointed out by MIR. Lovett in
statement which indicated even
greater increases than those al
ready made in the matter of arma-
ment for the Nations air fighters.
Performance Being Improved.
Although stress has been placed
on speed and fire power as a re-
suit of the wars lessons, the ability
to climb to high attitudes and to
operate over wide range also are
vitality important qualifications of
pursuit airplanes. In both these
phases there have been "sensa-
tional improvements" with still
greater to come, according to repre-
sentatives of the aircraft manufac-
turing industry in the aeronautical
chamber.
While performance figures on in
dividual airplanes are withheld for
military reasons, chamber officials
have found as result of a survey
of the new types of pursuit air.
craft now in process that the aver
age ceiling" of all United States
built pursuit airplanes has risen
from $4,000 feet in late 1888 to
nearly $4,000 feet today, while av-
erage maximum range has increased
from less than 1000 miles to more
than 1,400 miles.
With the discovery that .30-cali-
Der machine guns were inadequate
against airplaneS protected by ar
NOR plate, more and more .50-caliber
machine guns were installed. These
weapons not only have much greater
striking power than the lighter
guns but have considerably greater
range.
Installation of quick firing can
non of 20 to 81 millimeter sizes
(about three-fourths inch to ~
inches in bore has given Ameri-
can warplanes tremendously de-
structive fire power at ranges up
to 200 yards or more.
Engines Improved.
1AC1cdSeS III Speeu, range anu
ceiling, it was pointed out, have
been due not only to improvement
in aeronautical design but also to
the more powerful Wright and
Pratt & Whitney radial air-cooled
engines and the Allison liquid
cooled milne engines which have
been developed during the past few
years.
The single-seat pursuit airplanes,
1t was pointed out, have a dual
purpose, that of intercepting and
smashing enemy bombers and of