Evening star., 1941-04-20

~
w Ito take delivery of the worlds
largest airplane, an 82-ton bomb
er capable of flying nonstop from Los
Angeles to London and back to New York
with an 18-ton bomb load, this country S
aeronautical engineers are we'll along on
the design work for even larger giants,
of 100 tons or more.
The Nation which frst produces 1000
of these giant aircraft, with range OF
at least 10000 miles, first will be able
to conquer or save the world" in the
opinion of Mai. Gen. Henry II. Arnold,
chief Of the Army Air Corps and acting
deputy chief of staff.
Although the development of the 100
ton airplane, a size undreamed of less
than a decade ago, may appear
visionary leap into the future to many
laymen, it really is no more than a
logical step in a program which has
been in progress for many years.
The 2O-ton Flying Fortress bomber
only today is on its way to Europe as a
new weapon" in the spreading total-
tartan war and yet that airplane has
been the result of nearly 10 years OF
effort in this country American manu-
facturers already are two steps beyond
the Flying Fortress. One of them is
the so-called "Superfying Fortress"
an Air Corps experimental bomber
which now has been flying for several
years an6 which holds a number OF
world records for range and altitude
with loads The next step toward the
real flying battleship is the Douglas B-l9
Army bomber, recently placed on its
landing gear and now nearing test
flight stage at Santa Monica, Calf.
Six Years in Development.
Although it has not yet flown, the
Bio actually has been in process of
development for nearly six years-six
trail-blazing years of true aeronautical
pioneering unrivalled in any other part
of the world. Even before the 164,000-
pound Big began to take actual form,
however, the designers were at work
as the designers and engineers always
must be if aviation IS to continue its
progression the plans for the next
larger airplane, the 100-tonner.
The 1Oc-ton airplane design is being
sponsored by the Air Corps as an answer
to problems of hemisphere defense and
the threats of spreading world conflict
Engineering plans now are being de-
veloped by Consolidated Aircraft Corp,
which is building the four -engined
'Liberator" bombers and -engined
{- 60, md
Britain, and by other designers.
Like all our new bombers, the 100-ton
airplane is to have pressure cabins for
fight at extremely high attitudes, prob
ably beyond the performance of any
present-day bomber. 1t will carry new
and heavier guns than any other air
plane, and more of them. 1t also will
carry ammunition and bomb loads which
now seem impossible, according to Gen.
Arnold.
Range of Great Importance.
If there is any lesson to be derived
from the present air warfare in Europe
and other parts of the world, 1t is that
range is of tremendous Importance, the
Air Corps chief has pointed out.
"The heavy bomber should be able to
reach any part of the enemy territory
so that it can threaten with destruction
the building of armaments in any Sec
tion of the enemy nation" Gen. Arnold
said in his recent book, Winged War
fare" THE range of heavy bombers in
all the forces of the world has been
much too restricted. Our heavy bombers
must exceed the range of enemy aircraft
if that desirable end is attainable"
Given superior range, our air force
should be capable of destroying or cur
failing the usefulness of any bases from
which hostile aircraft could be launched
against this country and brought within
range of our critical industrial, social
| and political areas
Name our enemy with definiteness,
Gen. Arnold has pointed out, land one
can say with assurance what the range
| of our bombers should be. Within three