Chapter 273: Big Belly No.1
The performance of the third-generation military aircraft has significantly improved, and the cost of production has also risen considerably.
The cost of the Eagle-3 reconnaissance aircraft reached 27,425 Australian dollars, the Tiger-3 fighter jet cost 29,105 Australian dollars, and the most expensive is the Ghost-3 bomber, which costs as much as 32,725 Australian dollars.
In Arthur's plan to build 500 military aircraft, it includes 150 reconnaissance aircraft, 100 fighter jets, and 250 bombers, with a total cost of 15,205,500 Australian dollars, which is not a small amount.
This cost is almost the same as the military expenditure of Australasia last year, showing just how expensive these aircraft are.
However, compared to the cost, the effectiveness of these 500 aircraft will far outweigh the expenditure.
Once all the aircraft are equipped and combat-ready, Australasia's military will see an improvement in coastal and nearby combat capabilities.
The reason is simple: Australasia will have complete air superiority.
Imagine if a country's army and navy were engaged in battle with Australasia's forces, and suddenly hundreds of bombers appeared in the sky to conduct bombing raids—who could stop them?
This would not only be a tremendous and unseen threat for the army but also a massive threat for any navy ships within the bombing range.
Currently, most warships have not yet developed anti-aircraft weapons. If all 250 bombers were deployed, they could easily destroy several dreadnoughts, without a doubt.
Adding to the planes already in service, once this order is completed, Australasia's military aircraft fleet will reach 560, far surpassing the combined number of military aircraft of any other country in the world.
Of course, it's unclear whether other countries have military aircraft at all. Arthur is starting to feel a sense of superiority in this area.
Although Australasia has already taken a significant lead in military aircraft development, Arthur has not yet made plans to publicly display the air force.
The last war with Portugal had already drawn global attention to airships. After that war, many countries began investing in airship development, and they've achieved notable results.
While some of these projects have failed, no one doubts the practicality of airships.
As far as Arthur knows, both Britain and Germany have invested heavily in airships, at least several million pounds, and the results have been impressive. They've caught up with or even surpassed Australasia's achievements in airships, and the research continues.
The successes of these two countries have convinced other great powers and lesser nations that airships are the future.
After all, if the two most powerful nations are still conducting research and making progress with airships, other countries have no reason to doubt their potential.
As of now, Europe has over a thousand airships, which can be considered a golden age for airships, at least for now.
Unless something unexpected happens, Arthur believes the most glorious moment for airships in history will come in Europe more than a decade earlier than initially expected.
The attention countries are paying to airships has led to the establishment of numerous airship companies and factories.
Although a concrete commercial system hasn't formed yet, Arthur believes airships are about to become a major mode of transportation in Europe, and eventually spread worldwide.
Although airships do have decent transport capabilities and some areas in Australasia are already using airships for transportation, Arthur is more excited about airplanes as a mode of aerial transport.
Yes, since Arthur ordered the aviation laboratory to develop passenger planes, after four years of research, the first passenger aircraft has finally been developed.
Of course, if it's just about carrying passengers, the second-generation reconnaissance aircraft could already serve this purpose. However, these two-person planes are not suitable for commercial use; the cost of a ticket for a single passenger would be astronomical.
The first passenger plane developed by the aviation laboratory, named SF-1 by Director Theodore, can carry up to seven people, not including the pilot, with a maximum carrying weight of 1.5 tons.
Because the seating is located in the belly of the aircraft, the SF-1 has a large body, and the researchers at the aviation laboratory even humorously nicknamed it "Big Belly No. 1."
Because of its larger capacity and weight, the average flying speed of the SF-1 is only 170 kilometers per hour, and the maximum speed is 195 kilometers per hour.
This speed is far slower than military aircraft, but it is more than sufficient for a passenger plane.
After all, neither trains nor ships can reach speeds of 170 kilometers per hour.
Take the passenger trains in Australasia, for example. Their average speed is only 70 kilometers per hour, with a maximum speed of just 85 kilometers per hour.
As for ships, they are even slower, not even comparable to trains, let alone airplanes.
This means that this passenger plane can significantly improve connections between distant regions, drastically reducing travel time to faraway areas.
For instance, traveling from Western Australia to the capital, Sydney, via industrial railway takes at least two days.
But with the SF-1 passenger aircraft, at an average speed of 170 kilometers per hour, it would take only a little over 10 hours to reach Sydney.
Of course, currently, the plane cannot cover such a long journey. Even with multiple fuel tanks, the SF-1's maximum range is only 1,100 kilometers.
Given its size, the SF-1 could easily add a few more fuel tanks, extending the range to at least 1,500 kilometers.
However, this would not be worth the cost, as prolonged engine operation could cause problems.
Even the currently stable automobile engines may break down after running for more than ten hours.
Although the frequency of breakdowns is low, any failure in an aircraft mid-flight could be fatal, with a 100% death rate.
Therefore, 1,100 kilometers is sufficient for the plane's current range. At an average speed of 170 kilometers per hour, this would take almost seven hours of flying time.
Beyond seven hours, even if the engine runs without issues, it must be cooled down and maintained before it can take off again.
After all, the distance from Western Australia to New South Wales is not that far. A mid-stop for refueling wouldn't waste too much time.
Although the passenger aircraft has been developed, Arthur does not plan to ride it in the near future—at least not within two years.
He intends to wait until the passenger planes have undergone long-term, high-frequency testing and the failure rate is minimized before trying it himself.
Even then, Arthur would be fully prepared for any possible issues.
Arthur is not entirely satisfied with the passenger capacity and stability of the SF-1, and since there's no need to reveal these planes to the world yet, he gave Theodore the order to continue developing passenger aircraft, aiming to improve their speed and range while ensuring stability and safety.
As for the number of passengers, Arthur has not set a short-term requirement.
After all, even if the aircraft were quickly put into commercial use, they would not be accessible to the general public.
Until airplanes become part of the daily life of ordinary citizens, the market for them would still be limited.
Therefore, a seven-seat capacity should be sufficient for now, and adding a few more flights could solve the problem.
Arthur was very pleased with the successful development of several aircraft types, and naturally, he didn't skimp on rewards for the researchers.
All experts and researchers at the aviation laboratory received at least 5,000 Australian dollars in bonuses, along with goods worth thousands of dollars, which made them all very happy.
Even the regular workers at the laboratory received at least 500 Australian dollars and certain materials, which could amount to several years' worth of salary for them.
Though the rewards cost over a million Australian dollars, for Arthur, it was just a small amount.
What mattered to him more than the financial expenditure was the attitude and progress of the researchers.
After advising Director Theodore to ensure the quality of the planes, Arthur left the aviation laboratory with his subordinates, satisfied, and returned to Sydney Palace.
The aviation laboratory's primary task now was to manufacture those 500 planes, and Arthur no longer needed to oversee the production himself.
Such matters could be handled by his subordinates. For Arthur, aside from overseeing the development of advanced weapons and major national projects, there was little else that required his direct involvement.
As a king, he must maintain a certain level of dignity. Having earned sufficient reputation and support among the public, Arthur now needed to focus on bolstering his royal authority.
A few days later, Arthur arrived at the Royal Shipyard to inspect the progress.
Since October 1909, when the three dreadnoughts were fully completed, the shipyard has been preparing for the construction of the battlecruisers.
However, since the three dreadnoughts are still undergoing sea tests, the shipyard has refrained from starting the new warship construction and instead has been preparing for the maintenance of the existing battleships.
Fortunately, there have been no accidents during the sea tests of the three dreadnoughts over the past three months. The Australasia-class battleship has nearly completed its one-year sea test and will soon be officially inducted into the navy.
As for the remaining Australia and New Zealand-class dreadnoughts, if the sea tests continue to go smoothly, they should be ready to join the navy by the second half of this year, making Australasia's navy one of the top ten in the world.
Exaggerating slightly, with the addition of these dreadnoughts, Australasia's naval strength could potentially reach the level of the world's top powers.
In fact, if air superiority is factored in, Australasia's navy, in near-shore combat, already possesses great combat power, though still at the lower end compared to major powers.
To match top powers like Britain and Germany, Australasia would need at least ten to twenty dreadnoughts.
After all, from the time the dreadnought was first developed in 1906 until 1914, the leading powers had already built an astonishing number of them.
The United Kingdom, the largest builder, constructed 29 dreadnoughts in just eight years, ranking first globally.
Germany followed closely with 17 dreadnoughts built in the same period.
Even the United States, with relatively weak military power before World War I, managed to build 12 dreadnoughts.
Britain's construction speed was truly impressive, averaging 3.6 dreadnoughts per year—something Australasia's shipbuilding industry cannot match at the moment.
Germany's rate is similarly impressive, averaging two dreadnoughts per year.
If Australasia's current shipbuilding speed is taken into account, even at full capacity over eight years, it could only build around ten dreadnoughts.
Of course, this doesn't take into account the cost of building dreadnoughts or the time required to train the crew—this calculation only reflects the shipbuilding speed.
(End of Chapter)
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