Avorio-Prassone kite balloon
| Avorio-Prassone kite balloon | |
|---|---|
| Role | Observation balloon |
| National origin | Italy |
| Manufacturer | Stabilimento costruzioni aeronautiche militari, Rome |
| Designer | Luigi Avorio, Eugenio Prassone |
| First flight | 1915 |
| Primary user | Royal Italian Army |
Avorio-Prassone kite balloon (in French Avorio-Prassone Captif) was a type of non-rigid military observation balloon, designed in 1915 by Luigi Avorio and Eugenio Prassone. The type entered into service in the Royal Italian Army and became the main domestic type of observation balloon during World War I.
Design
[edit]Project of Italian kite balloon type was assigned to Major Luigi Avorio, Chief of the Aeronautical Division of the Italian Army, and Dr. Eugenio Prassone, director of the Stabilimento costruzioni aeronautiche militari aircraft factory in Rome.[1] The first prototype was finished in 1915, series production followed soon after. By its design the type followed the shapes of French Caquot kite balloon[2] being more spherical, although it was still able to generate some aerodynamic lift and like the Caquot, had three fins for stability balance.
Operational history
[edit]At the beginning of the war Avorio-Prassones were used exclusively by the Italian army,[3] for example as anti-aircraft defence tools in Venice and other Italian cities. Some units were also produced in the United Kingdom under the license and at the end of the war used as a barrage balloons in London area.
On 12 August 1918 Avoria and Prassone received an U. S. Patent for their balloon unit.[4] In the same month the U. S. Navy brought two of the units and put them under the tests in the military balloon school in Fort Omaha, Nebraska.[5] At least thee other units were manufactured in Connecticut Aircraft Comp. factory in 1920 for the U. S. Navy. In 1930 U. S. military forces owned eight of Avorio-Prassone units.[6]
Specifications
[edit]General characteristics
- Length: 1,223 m (4,012 ft 6 in)
- Diameter: 350 m (1,150 ft)
Performance
Armament
none
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ Idle, John Jay (15 May 1920). "The Avorio-Prassone Kite Balloon". Aviation Week. VIII (8): 314–315. Retrieved 3 January 2025.
- ^ "Caquot Type R Observation Balloon". National Museum of the USAF. Retrieved 2 January 2025.
- ^ Cosentino, Michele. "Gli aerostati della Regia Marina durante la Grande Guerra" (PDF). Associazione Nazionale Marinai d'Italia (in Italian). p. 1. Retrieved 3 January 2025.
- ^ "1,377,924 Observational Kite Balloon". Official Gazette of the United States Patent Office. 286: 353. 10 May 1921. Retrieved 3 January 2025.
- ^ Idle, John Jay (15 May 1920). "The Avorio-Prassone Kite Balloon". Aviation Week. VIII (8): 314–315. Retrieved 3 January 2025.
- ^ War Department Appropriation Bill for 1931, Hearings Before the Subcommittee on Appropriations. Washington, D.C.: Committee on Appropriations. 1931. p. 171. Retrieved 3 January 2025.
Bibliography
[edit]- Ege, Lennart (1973). Balloons and Airships 1783–1973. Blandford Colour series - The Pocket Encyclopaedia of World Aircraft in Colour. Translated by Hildesheim, Erik. London: Blandfor Press. pp. 168–169. ISBN 0-7137-0568-X.
- Murphy, Justin D. (April 27, 2005). Military Aircraft, Origins to 1918: An Illustrated History of Their Impact. ABC-CLIO. p. 49. ISBN 1851094881. Retrieved 3 January 2025.
External links
[edit]
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