African Entrepreneurship Records 2

Chapter 945 Air Force
“Publish this news in written form throughout the country and announce it to the whole country through radio, about the commendation and material rewards to be given to the Bulawayo Aircraft Research Institute…”

Ernst still decided to spread the news about the aircraft. After all, other countries would also develop aircraft within a few years, so there was no need to hide it completely.

Moreover, even if the aircraft is launched, it will not attract the attention of the military of various countries at the first time. In addition, East Africa has accumulated many advantages. As long as it continues to invest, East Africa will be able to continue to maintain this first-mover advantage.

As for material rewards, that is easier to say. In addition to money, there are also real estate, cars... This is also a set of related processes that East Africa has explored.

Of course, reputation is also indispensable. Although it will not be publicized internationally, it will be easy for it 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 its sister units. Now that the Bulawayo Aircraft Research Institute has made achievements, they should also speed up the progress.”

Of course, there cannot be only one aircraft research institute in Bulawayo in East Africa. There are also aircraft research institutes in Mbeya and Harare, two inland industrially developed cities.

Among them, there are two in Mbeya, one in Harare and one in Bulawayo. It is indeed surprising that Bulawayo can surpass Mbeya and Harare, which have stronger industrial bases and scientific research capabilities. However, this can also make it easier to stimulate the determination of other related aircraft institutions.

Thinking of this, Ernst continued, "I think it is necessary to have various scientific research institutions organize a study exchange this year. Only by learning from each other can we promote the rapid development of scientific research in our country."

……

After discussing rewards for the Bulawayo Aircraft Research Institute and encouragement for other scientific research institutions, Ernst began planning the construction of the East African Air Force.

Of course, we are just building the most basic framework. As for forming an army, we will have to wait. After all, aircraft have only just come out and cannot even be mass-produced.

"Go and call Merke and Felix over!" Ernst ordered. The current Chief of the General Staff of the Wehrmacht is Merke, and the Minister of Defense is Felix.

Soon the two arrived at the Sweet Palace, and Felix took over the job from Marquis Alman. After all, Alman was too old, and had many hidden illnesses left over from the early wars, so he had retired. Felix is ​​now in his sixties and is no longer as arrogant as he was when he was young. When he was young, Felix was a well-known hawk who showed no mercy to the natives and enemies.

Merke is the current Chief of the General Staff and a representative of young and strong military officers in East Africa. He has participated in and commanded many major battles, and performed particularly well in the South African War.

After Ernst showed them the footage shot by the East African journalists 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 been equipped with submarines for a long time, plus the armored forces and fast mobile infantry that the army is currently forming. Now with this thing that can fly in the sky, it means that it can go up to the sky, into the ground, and into the sea. It covers everything! The development of technology today is really amazing."

As the Minister of Defense, Felix had a relatively low level of education. After all, as the first batch of mercenaries, except for those who were later stuffed into the Hechingen Military Academy, most of them had low cultural levels. Of course, Felix caught up with the trend of universal compulsory education in Germany, and later East Africa further improved their academic qualifications, so he was still better than Marquis Yarman in this respect.

Merk said, "Your Highness, are you planning to equip the troops with this new invention?"

After all, the two people Ernst had found were the highest leaders of the army, and with the precedents of submarines, cars, and armored vehicles, the intention was still very obvious. Ernst nodded and said, "What do you think of the impact of this equipment on future wars?"

Merk said: "This is somewhat similar to an airship, which should be able to take military construction to a higher level in terms of reconnaissance and information transmission."

As early as the 1950s, the French invented the manned airship. Today, airships are also an important project for countries to try to occupy a place in the sky. East Africa is no exception. It’s just that East Africa’s investment in airships is not large. The East African army is only equipped with two domestically produced airships to complete some specific military tasks.

"So what do you think is the difference between this new type of aircraft, that is, airplanes and airships?" Ernst asked.

Felix: "Just from the video, it seems that the aircraft has stronger maneuverability and faster reaction speed."

Merk also nodded, but he also expressed a different opinion: "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 that!"

Ernst: "Of course, but early aircraft obviously cannot meet the requirements of airships. After all, aircraft research and development has just started, while airships have been developed for 40 to 50 years and tend to be more mature. However, with the development of technology, aircraft will surpass airships sooner or later. In fact, at present, aircraft already have many advantages over airships, such as speed, steering, operation, etc."

Merk asked, "Then I wonder how Your Highness plans to arrange the use of aircraft in the military?"

Ernst: "In the early days, aircraft were obviously used for the army, for reconnaissance, special goods transportation, etc. However, as time went by and technology advanced, I think that aircraft could have been used to form an independent branch of the military, and it would have been the third largest branch of the military alongside the navy and the army."

Ernst's words immediately made Felix and Merkel feel shocked, but they did not refute it because facts proved that many of the crown prince's original judgments were correct.

Ernst explained: "The application scenarios of airplanes are very broad. Of course, it is difficult to convince people now, but before the Industrial Revolution, it was difficult for anyone to imagine that the application of inventions such as steam engines, internal combustion engines, generators, etc. would have such a huge impact on human society."

"And airplanes also represent an important step for mankind towards the sky. In the future, we will not only have naval power and land power, but also air power. The development of airplanes will also allow them to carry weapons and suppress the enemy from the sky. I have said so much because the project of the third major military branch has been confirmed."

"What you need to do is to select a group of elite generals from the military, preferably those who have some technical knowledge, to build the basic framework of the future air force."

The Air Force, like the Navy, has been a technical military branch since its inception, and it is difficult for ordinary people to master it. Therefore, without a certain level of scientific literacy, it will be detrimental 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 has just been tested for flight, so an air force is not built in a day. You don't have to be too impatient. According to my thinking, the East African Air Force will be basically formed in the next ten years, and its scale will not be too large. In addition to technical personnel, pilots also need professional training. This is a complex system..."

Following Ernst's lengthy speech, the establishment of the East African Air Force was basically confirmed. Of course, the main task 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, it would have to wait until East Africa's production capacity was increased.

(End of this chapter)