The Rise Of Australasia

Chapter 649 - 495: Military Research Investment

In the research of military technology after World War I, one of the essential technologies is radar.

Although the initial purpose of the British development of radar was to find German planes in the sky, it is undeniable that radar has become one of the most important parts of military weapons with the development of technology.

Arthur attaches great importance to the research of radar technology. A few years ago, he asked Tesla to establish a radar research lab and allocated 2 million Australian dollars for Tesla to research at will.

The research of radar is not achieved overnight. As early as 1842, the Austrian physicist Doppler proposed the Doppler radar using the Doppler effect.

After that, in 1864, British physicist Maxwell deduced the formula that could calculate the characteristics of electromagnetic waves.

So far, various countries have made certain progress in radar research. Radio waves, electric mirrors, vacuum triodes, and other research are all milestones in human radar research, representing the progress of scientific research in the military field of various countries.

If Arthur remembers correctly, the first practical radar should have been born before World War II, in 1935, to be precise.

There are still 16 years before the birth of the first practical radar. Tesla has enough time to research the radar and even overtake Robert Watson Watt, the inventor of the first practical radar, in a curve.

After all, 2 million Australian dollars in research funds is definitely not a small amount. If used sparingly, it should even be enough for Tesla to research until the birth of the radar.

The reason for spending such a large price on radar research is that radar is crucial for the improvement of military technology in the future. This is not only about the most basic planes and tanks but also more advanced rockets and missiles.

Just like radar, Australasia’s missile research has also been launched. It is led by the former Russian expert and now the Chief-in-charge of Australasian Rocket Research, Ziolkowski.

Therefore, the main direction of research for the third-generation tank, which Arthur is very concerned about, is the breakdown rate, also known as the failure rate.

In World War I, the practical function of the first-generation tank was still significant, causing a large number of casualties to the enemy while keeping its own war casualties low.

The German army had no way to deal with the first-generation tanks, and the only thing that could defeat them was the breakdown rate.

Compared to the first-generation tanks, which had considerable improvement, the second-generation tanks were destined to be more powerful in the war.

It is not an exaggeration to say that the firepower of the second-generation tank is not weaker than that of the tank during World War II, but the reliability still has significant defects.

Next, the main research direction of the third-generation tank, in addition to reducing the breakdown rate as much as possible and improving stability, is to strengthen the tank’s protection. After all, the weaponry of World War II has become much more robust. Germany even developed missiles, and the number of weapons that could sanction tanks is on the rise.

With the emergence of various anti-tank firearms, the tank’s defense capabilities must also become stronger.

This is not only protection for the soldiers driving the tanks but also protection for the victory of a battle.

After the tank was exposed, there was no need to use the Royal Agricultural Machinery Factory to hide it.

With a wave of his hand, Arthur directly separated the tank business from the Royal Agricultural Machinery Factory and independently established a tank manufacturing factory, affiliated to the Royal Military Factory, responsible for the research and development and manufacturing of tanks.

Since the tank manufacturing factory fully inherits the tank business of the Royal Agricultural Machinery Factory, the production speed of the tank manufacturing factory is still rapid, capable of producing at least 200 tanks per year, an average of two tanks every three days.