Chapter 945 Air Force
"Publish this news nationwide in written form, and inform it nationwide through radio broadcasts, regarding the commendation and material rewards to be given to the Bulawayo City Aircraft Research Institute..."
Ernst decided to spread the news about the aircraft. After all, other countries would develop aircraft in a few years, so there was no need to be completely secretive.
And even if the aircraft comes out, it will not attract the attention of the military of various countries in the first place. In addition, East Africa has accumulated a lot of advantages. As long as it continues to invest, East Africa can continue to maintain this first-mover advantage.
As for material rewards, it’s even better to say, in addition to money, things like real estate, cars... This is also a set of related processes that have been explored in East Africa.
Of course, reputation is also indispensable. Although it will not be widely publicized internationally, it is still easy to become a household name in East Africa in the future.
"At the same time, let the Bulawayo Aircraft Research Institute share its data with brother units. Now that the Bulawayo Aircraft Research Institute has made achievements, they should also speed up the progress."
Naturally, there cannot be only the Aircraft Research Institute in Bulawayo in East Africa. It is located in two inland industrially developed cities such as Mbeya and Harare.
Among them, there are two in Mbeya, one each in Harare and Bulawayo. It is really surprising that Bulawayo can beat Mbeya and Harare, which have stronger industrial foundations and scientific research capabilities. Unexpected, but this will also make it easier to inspire the determination to develop other related aircraft mechanisms.
Thinking of this, Ernst continued: "I think it is very necessary for various scientific research institutions to organize a learning exchange this year. Only mutual learning and promotion can promote the rapid development of scientific research in our country."
…
After discussing rewards for the Aircraft Research Institute in Bulawayo and incentives for other scientific research institutions, Ernst began to plan the construction of the East African Air Force.
Of course, we are just building the most basic framework. As for forming an army, we have to wait. After all, the aircraft has just come out and cannot even be mass-produced.
"Go and call Merk and Felix!" Ernst ordered. The current Chief of the General Staff of the Wehrmacht is Merk, and the Minister of Defense is Felix.
Soon the two came to the Sweet Palace. Felix took over from Marquis Arman. After all, Arman was too old and had many hidden diseases left by the early war, so he had retired, and Felix Now that Si has entered his sixties, he is no longer as arrogant as when he was young. When he was young, Felix was a resounding hawk and showed no mercy to the natives and enemies.
Merkel is the current Chief of General Staff. He is a representative of the young military officers in East Africa. He has also participated in and commanded many major battles, especially in the South African War.
After Ernst showed them the materials shot by East African reporters on a projector, he asked: "What do you think of this new type of transportation?"
Felix was quite surprised: "Your Highness, I remember that the Navy has long been equipped with submarines, plus the armored forces and fast mobile infantry that the Army is forming, and now with this thing that can fly in the sky, isn't it like going to the sky? The earth, the sea, everything is covered! The development of technology today is really amazing.”
As the Minister of Defense, Felix's academic level was relatively low. After all, as a member of the first batch of mercenaries, except for the Hechingen Military Academy who was later recruited, most of them had low educational levels. Of course, Felix After all, they caught up with the popularization of compulsory education in Germany, and later East Africa further improved their academic qualifications, so in this regard they are still better than the Marquis of Bierman.
Merkel said: "Your Highness, are you planning to equip the troops with this new invention?"
After all, the two people Ernst hired were the top leaders of the military, and with the precedent of submarines, cars, and armored vehicles, the intention was still obvious.
Ernst nodded and said, "What do you think the impact of this equipment will be on future wars?"
Merk said: "This is somewhat similar to an airship, and it should be able to take the military to a higher level in terms of reconnaissance and information transmission."
As early as the 1950s, the French invented the manned airship. Nowadays, airships are also an important project for various countries to try to occupy a place in the sky, and East Africa is no exception. However, East Africa’s investment in airships is not large, and the East African military Only two domestically produced airships are equipped and used to complete some specific military tasks.
"Then what do you think is the difference between this new type of aircraft, that is, an airplane and an airship?" Ernst asked.
Felix: "Judging from the video alone, the aircraft seems to have stronger maneuverability and faster reaction speed."
Merk also nodded, but he also put forward a different view: "But we don't know the specific details of airplanes and airships. Because of their stability, airships can easily complete many tasks in the air. I don't know if airplanes can do the same!"
Ernst: "This is natural, but early aircraft obviously cannot meet the requirements of airships. After all, aircraft research and development has just started, and airships have gone through forty or fifty years of development and tend to be more mature. However, with the development of technology, Sooner or later, airplanes will surpass airships. In fact, for now, airplanes already have many advantages over airships, such as speed, steering, operation, etc. "
Merkel asked: "Then I wonder how His Highness plans to arrange the application of aircraft in the military?"
Ernst: "In the early days, aircraft obviously served the Army, responsible for reconnaissance, transportation of special items, etc. However, as time goes by and technology advances, in my opinion, it was completely possible to establish an independent military service relying on aircraft at that time, and it was The third largest military branch along with the Navy and Army.”
As soon as Ernst's words came out, Felix and Merk immediately felt confused, but they did not refute it, because facts proved that many of the Crown Prince's original conclusions were right.
Ernst explained: "The application scenarios of aircraft are very broad. Of course, it is difficult to be convincing now. However, before the industrial revolution, it was difficult for anyone to think that the application of inventions such as steam engines, internal combustion engines, generators, etc. would have a negative impact on human society." Such a huge impact.”
"Aircraft also represent an important step for mankind to move towards the sky. In the future, there will not only be navy, land power, but also air power. The development of aircraft will also allow them to carry weapons to suppress the enemy from the sky. I said this much, It’s just that the project for the third major military branch has been confirmed.”
"What you have to do is to recruit a group of elite generals from the military, preferably who also know some technology, to build the basic framework of the future air force."
The Air Force, like the Navy, has been a technical service since its inception. It is difficult for ordinary people to master it. Therefore, without certain scientific literacy, it is not conducive to the progress of the Air Force.
Merk nodded and said, "Does Your Highness have any other requests?"
Ernst went on to say: "The aircraft are just experimental flights now, so the air force was not built in a day. You don't have to be too impatient. According to my idea, the East African Air Force will be basically formed in the next ten years, and the scale will not be too large." , and in addition to technical personnel, pilots also need professional training. This is a complex system..."
With Ernst's long speech, the establishment of the East African Air Force was basically confirmed. Of course, the main mission of the East African Air Force in the early days was to assist the army. If it really wanted to be as independent as the navy, at least it would have to wait until East Africa's production capacity increased.