Chapter 307: Chapter 271: Aircraft Carrier

The improvements of the Bengal Tiger-3 Fighter compared to the previous generation of fighters are very significant.

Arthur had previously complained that among the three types of military aircraft, the fighter was, counterintuitively, the least useful. Now, it’s a completely different story.

The current Bengal Tiger-3 Fighter can reach an average speed of 210 kilometers per hour, with a maximum speed of up to 240 kilometers per hour, only slightly slower than the Eagle-3 Reconnaissance Aircraft.

The slight lag in speed is due to the Bengal Tiger-3 Fighter being equipped with two MA-107 Maxim heavy machine guns and upgraded armor protection.

Moreover, the ammunition capacity of the machine guns has also been increased significantly. The previous fighter models only carried 1,500 rounds of bullets, which upon exhaustion, they either had to rely on the pilot’s own weapons or return home to reload.

Now, the Bengal Tiger-3 Fighter has doubled its ammunition capacity to 3,000 rounds, greatly enhancing its combat endurance and firepower output capabilities.

With these enhancements, the fighter assumes a significant role. The Bengal Tiger-3 Fighter, with increased protection, firepower, and speed, may even be capable of taking on multiple planes from other countries.

However, the Bengal Tiger-3 Fighter’s range is not as impressive as the reconnaissance aircraft. Without auxiliary fuel tanks, the Bengal Tiger-3 Fighter’s maximum range is 570 kilometers. With two auxiliary fuel tanks, this range extends to 890 kilometers.

This performance not only surpasses that of contemporary aircraft from other countries but also outperforms models used by various countries during World War I.

Unexaggeratedly speaking, Australasia’s aircraft could have created numerous aerial legends even amidst the backdrop of World War I.

The aircraft that Arthur currently sees as the most practical for military use is, naturally, the Phantom-3 Bomber.

Last time, the swift defeat of the Portuguese army was largely thanks to the bombers.

Right now, no country in the world has much defense against aerial forces as anti-aircraft weapons haven’t been developed yet.

The best they can do is probably to use rifles and machine guns against the aircraft.

However, Australasia’s three types of military aircraft are far superior to basic models from other countries. Not only are they faster, but they are also quite well-armored.

While it is possible to take out an aircraft with just rifles and machine guns, the probability is less than a primitive plane defeating a more advanced enemy aircraft.

The Phantom-3 Bomber is the slowest of the three types of military aircraft, with an average speed of 195 kilometers per hour and a maximum speed of only 215 kilometers per hour.

This is because the bomber is loaded with a large number of different types of bombs. There are currently three types of bombs that can be carried by the bomber: 45-pound small-scale lethal bombs, 75-pound medium-scale lethal bombs, and 120-pound blasting bombs.

The capacity for each type of bombs is as follows: 42 for the smallest, 24 for the medium, and 12 for the largest.

The firing mode allows two bombs to be fired at a time, deploying two bombs with a single press of the fire button.

This leads to a peculiar characteristic of the bomber’s firepower. The bombing frequency depends on the firing speed of the pilot.

Nevertheless, firing too rapidly could lead to system malfunctions. This is, however, quite unlikely as pilots are unlikely to go on a chaotic and reckless frenzy.

The increase in payload and bomb power has significantly enhanced the bomber’s destructive power.

Without any exaggeration, the destructive power of a single Phantom-3 Bomber far exceeds that of ten GA1906 semi-automatic cannons.

Before anti-aircraft weapons and other countries’ aircraft are developed, Arthur is even confident that with Australasia’s current aircraft, the safety of Australasia can be assured.

However, looking at the bomber reminded Arthur of an especially important issue.

While the world’s nations are heavily developing their navies and battleships, Arthur realizes that the era of battleships is coming to an end.

What truly led to the obsolescence of battleships was not the emergence of other powerful warships, but the birth and rise of aircraft.

The armor protection capabilities of battleships depend on knowledge about the parabolic arcs of other ship guns. Yet, aircraft bombings do not consider such trajectories as they generally drop their bombs directly downward.

This gave way to the rise of aircraft carriers, outfitted with aircraft they became the nemesis of even the most powerful battleships that dominated the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Having said that, although aircraft carriers appeared during World War I, compared to later generations, those early models were extremely crude.

What does the research for aircraft carriers need? The answer is aircraft. Without planes, talk of aircraft carriers is meaningless.

Secondly, there’s shipbuilding level. Currently, Australasia has mastered the technology of building dreadnoughts. Their shipbuilding level is absolutely capable of constructing a simple aircraft carrier.

If they can build aircraft carriers, why don’t they just build one directly?

Arthur suddenly came to a realization, then he asked Director Theodore in a serious tone, “Director Theodore, what is the shortest takeoff distance for our aircraft at the moment?”

Theodore answered, “Your Majesty, for our fastest reconnaissance aircraft, the shortest takeoff distance is around 1,400 meters.”

Arthur nodded. This level is close to the takeoff distance of aircraft during World War II, which also proves the researchers in the Aerospace Laboratory have indeed made efforts.

But this is clearly still not enough. If they want to equip aircraft on an aircraft carrier, a sea warship, they should understand that even the largest warships at present are no more than a couple hundred meters in length.

This also implies that the takeoff distance of an aircraft on an aircraft carrier is at most two hundred meters, which places very strict requirements on the construction technology of aircraft and aircraft carriers.

What methods of taking off from aircraft carriers were there for later generations? Arthur thought carefully for a long time, but he was still clueless.

He only remembered that aircraft seemed to take off by catapulting and vertical lifting, but he didn’t remember the specific form and principle at all.

Arthur shook his head slightly, then he decided to leave the professional tasks to the professionals.

Looking at Director Theodore, who was full of anticipation, Arthur smiled and said, “Director Theodore, your efforts are commendable. I am very pleased with the development of these three types of military aircraft, and I, on behalf of the military, promise to equip at least 500 planes within the next three years.”

Theodore smiled joyfully and respectfully answered, “This is all thanks to Your Majesty’s support. Without it, we would still be only auxiliary developers of airships.”

“We can’t drop the improvements to the third-generation aircraft and the research and development of the fourth-generation aircraft. Meanwhile, there is also a rather important task for you and the rest of the researchers,” Arthur continued.

“Your Majesty, just give the orders,” Theodore was respectfully listening.

“I once heard a suggestion, asking whether it’s possible to equip warships with aircraft to enable their launch anywhere on the ocean, broadening the attack range and operational area of our aircraft. Director Theodore, what do you think of this?” Arthur inquired.

“Your Majesty, may I ask whose idea this is?” Theodore cautiously asked.

No one could blame Theodore for being cautious. Those who are qualified to propose ideas and suggestions to Arthur are definitely Arthur’s trusted ministers or subordinates.

Under such circumstances, even if the ideas and suggestions were unreal, Theodore would not dare to refute them!

After all, this is an authoritarian state. If the suggesting minister is dissatisfied with Theodore and finds an opportunity to suggest Arthur to dismiss Theodore, then he would be in serious trouble.

Arthur chuckled, naturally seeing Theodore’s internal thoughts. He reassured him, “Speak your mind freely. Rest assured, in this case, recommendations from experts like you are more important.”

Upon receiving Arthur’s assurance, Theodore then courageously said, “Your Majesty, I believe this is a bold idea. From a hypothetical standpoint, if we can equip warships with aircraft, it would indeed greatly enhance the aircraft’s combat capabilities and radius. However, even our shortest takeoff distance for planes at present is 1,400 meters. Surely, we could not build a warship over 1,400 meters long!”

Even in the late times, the world’s largest ship, the legendary Sea Giant, is only 485 meters long.

But such a super colossal warship, with a full displacement of 820,000 tons, is dozens of times larger than the current largest battleship.

Let’s not even consider whether technology can support the construction of such a ship. Just the cost of building such a huge warship could probably bankrupt a second-tier power.

Arthur smiled and explained, “What if we used special launching methods? Like adding an extra power for the airplane to possess the initial speed to take off? Or, alter the span of the warship’s deck, slightly bending it upwards, so the plane has a better takeoff scope? Could the required takeoff distance be reduced in this way, thus making it possible for airplanes to be equipped on warships?”

The birth of the aircraft carrier in World War I proves that even in that period there were technologies and methods to significantly reduce the takeoff distance of aircraft.

Australasia’s current planes are already a step ahead of other countries in the world. Arthur doesn’t believe that the development of the aircraft carrier could be blocked due to a minor issue of airplane takeoff.

With the collective scientific research capabilities of the whole country invested in it, Arthur doesn’t believe that the progress of Australasia’s aircraft carrier research and development will lag behind other countries in a few years.

After listening to Arthur’s explanation, Theodore pondered earnestly for a while, then answered seriously, “Your Majesty, this could indeed be possible. But let alone us, the current worldwide research on sea takeoff platforms is practically zero. Even if this idea could become a reality, I am afraid it won’t be developed in a short time.”

Arthur nodded, smiling, “This is not a rush, Director Theodore. You can consider this as an important but not urgent task, not for at least the next three years. At present, our main task is still the massive equipment of aircraft to build a real air force and the vast construction of warships to build a strong navy. This idea may become Australasia’s main target for future naval construction, but it will take at least several years to implement. When you’ve got some free time, you might want to have a detailed conversation with the experts from the shipyard. I’ll give you three years. As long as there’s some progress in this area, it’ll be considered substantial success.”

Aircraft carriers only played a key role in World War II. For the research and development of Australasia’s aircraft carrier, Arthur aimed to have one within three to five years.

As long as they could build an operational aircraft carrier within this period, it would be considered going smoothly.