The Rise Of Australasia

Chapter 391: Chapter 332: The Research and Development of Weapons

As time entered November of 1912, the Australasian Royal Physics and Chemistry Research Association was basically reorganized into the Royal Science Academy.

Former members of the Research Association transformed into Fellows of the Australasian Royal Science Academy.

For these researchers, the change in their status was a good thing. After all, although the Royal Physics and Chemistry Research Association was valued by Arthur, their status as members was not so high.

Now, after becoming members of the Royal Science Academy, at the very least, they have a position similar to that of an urban city mayor, and they are considered middle-upper class in Australasia.

As long as they can successfully reach the level of a second-tier Fellow by breaking through the barrier between a first and second-tier Fellow, these researchers will truly enter the upper class of Australasian society, having an extraordinary status.

Since the Royal Science Academy has been established, it is time to begin its major research projects.

Arthur attended the first plenary session of the Royal Science Academy, emphasizing several research directions for the academy.

First and foremost is wireless communication technology, already mastered by Tesla. It is an essential technology for both civil and military fields.

Wireless communication technology will become one of the main research directions of the Royal Science Academy, with telegrams being the primary focus of Tesla and the Academy.

Apart from wireless communication technology, Tesla must also strengthen the research on alternating current technology. Various power generation equipment and electricity transportation devices need new improvements.

Besides serving as the vice-president of the Royal Science Academy, Tesla was appointed by Arthur as the chief designer of Australasian national power engineering, responsible for the development of Australasian power engineering projects.

As the top electrical engineer in the United States, Tesla is, of course, the most suitable candidate for the position of chief designer of power engineering.

It is worth mentioning that electricity has become one of the most commonly used energy sources in Australasia.

In large cities like Sydney and Melbourne, electric streetlights can be seen everywhere. Electric lights have also entered thousands of households, becoming one of the main lighting methods for urban residents.

In addition, electricity and electric equipment are being widely used in the industrial sector.

Although Australasia has separated from the British Empire, the most obvious difference between the two at present is the innovation of industrial technology equipment used.

Many old factories in Britain still use old-fashioned equipment with steam power as the main source of energy. However, in Australasia, many new factories have adopted electricity as their primary energy source, with only a small portion having to rely on steam and coal power.

Due to the early birth of air conditioning, some factories in Australasia even have air conditioning units powered by electricity operating in indoor workshops with higher temperatures.

The main research directions determined at this conference are all projects related to the vital interests of Australasia.

Of course, in addition to these projects, fellows of the Royal Science Academy can also choose their research projects and apply for their research funds at the Academy.

Besides the Royal Science Academy, Arthur also had high expectations for the technical experts of military factories and shipyards.

With the supplement of European talent, the Royal Military Factory and the Royal Shipyard are no longer short of personnel, and they now have enough manpower to conduct research on new weapons.

After the conclusion of the Royal Science Academy's meeting, Arthur summoned Browning, who had already been working for some time, to discuss the current research direction of the Royal Military Factory.

Browning's experience in the field of small arms was definitely among the top talents of this era.

Handguns, light machine guns, heavy machine guns, submachine guns, and automatic rifles - there are almost no weapons that Browning cannot design and improve.

Considering Australasia's current arsenal, Arthur asked Browning to improve the country's handguns and submachine guns, and try to develop a lighter machine gun.

Currently, the only handgun in Australasia is the AS-1898, which has been in development for more than ten years and is clearly behind the times.

Browning's achievements in handgun design are undeniable, and he is the most suitable candidate among the military factory experts to improve this weapon.

As for submachine guns, although Australasia currently has the Cassadine submachine gun, its design was based on Arthur's proposal and can only be considered a submachine gun that barely meets his requirements.

If Browning can improve the Cassadine submachine gun, increasing its rate of fire and power, it would also be beneficial for the Australasian Army.

After all, there are quite a few troops equipped with the Cassadine submachine gun now, including Arthur's personal guards, and the palace guards, all equipped with this submachine gun.

As for heavy machine guns, there is not much need for improvement. At present, Australasia has the MA-107 Maxim heavy machine gun, an advanced weapon improved from the MA-99 Maxim heavy machine gun, which is already a world-class heavy machine gun.

However, Australasia has made no progress in the field of light machine guns.

Although heavy machine guns are good, they not only require several people to operate but also pose a significant challenge in transportation.

If there is a lighter machine gun with not much less firepower to compensate for the shortcomings of heavy machine guns, it can not only increase the firepower diversity of the Australasian army but also ensure that the troops can carry sufficient firepower weapons during long marches.

Now with the technology of European countries, the need for improvement in Australasia's artillery technology is not that great.

From the 37mm machine gun to the 283mm Krupp Giant Cannon, the Royal Military Factory in Australasia can now produce these, and the technology is reliable.

Of course, although the 283mm cannon looks very exaggerated, the weapons with the most significant equipment in the Australasian army are actually the gun series that mainly includes the CA-1 37mm machine gun, M1897 75mm cannon, GA1902 75mm Rapid Fire Cannon, Krupp 105mm Howitzer, Krupp 155mm Howitzer, and GA1906 105mm Semi-automatic Cannon.

The M1897 cannon is the famous French Lady, and the GA1902 cannon is a more powerful weapon obtained by Australasia and Germany after improving the French Lady.

The French Lady can achieve a firing rate of 15 rounds per minute, while the GA1902 cannon has a firing rate of 20 rounds per minute.

At present, the Australasian army has fully replaced the French Lady with the GA1902 cannon, gradually abandoning the previously trusted French Lady.

As for the GA series, the GA1906 105mm rapid-fire cannon is still a cooperative product of Australasia and Germany.

Using the principle of the French Lady, this gun can also achieve a firing rate of 12 rounds per minute.

Combined with its 105mm caliber's huge lethality, it makes 37mm, 75mm, and 105mm rapid-fire cannons the most equipped heavy weapons in the Australasian army.

Fast-firing semi-automatic cannons and machine guns are used to cause mass casualties, while giant cannons with calibers reaching 155mm and 283mm are used to bomb and inflict devastating attacks on enemies' strongholds.

This has made the firepower of the Australasian army theoretically perfect in its various calibers. In terms of firepower, the Australasian army is not inferior to any country.

Also, with various machine guns, submachine guns, and advanced rifles on board, this is why Arthur firmly believes that the Australasian Army's combat strength ranks among the world's top forces.

More importantly, apart from these very powerful firepower weapons, the Australasian army does not skimp on ammunition and shells during training.

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With extensive training combined with advanced equipment, how could the combat strength of the army not be strong?

Speaking of artillery, experts from the Royal Military Factory have also received tasks and requirements from Arthur.

At present, the largest caliber gun equipped by the Australasian Army is the 283mm Giant Cannon of the Krupp Factory.

However, in terms of naval guns, above the 283mm cannons, the Royal Military Factory and Shipyard also control 305mm and 343mm ship guns.

These two calibers correspond to the artillery calibers of dreadnoughts and super-dreadnought ships, guaranteeing and sourcing the powerful firepower of current military ships.

The Australasian 305mm cannon technology comes from Germany, while the 343mm cannon technology comes from the British Empire.

After obtaining artillery experts from countries such as the British Empire, France, and the Austro-Hungarian Empire, Arthur naturally would not be satisfied with the current cannon calibers.

It should be noted that, during World War I, the British Queen Elizabeth-class battleship used 15-inch caliber cannons.

At 15 inches, which is about 381mm, the gun caliber would far exceed other countries' naval gun calibers, giving the British navy a unique advantage in terms of firepower.

Indeed, in response to pressure from the German naval competition and to consolidate the British warship's superior position in firepower, Navy Secretary Churchill of Britain strongly advocated installing larger caliber guns on the new warships, that is, replacing the original 13.5-inch caliber guns with 15-inch caliber guns on the Queen Elizabeth-class battleships.

In later history, British experts were rushing to research 15-inch main guns, ultimately equipping the Queen Elizabeth-class battleships in January 1915 and putting them into the war.

Although the British were pressed for time in researching the 15-inch main gun, the good performance and huge firepower of the 15-inch main gun they researched resulted in the building of the Queen Elizabeth-class battleships, demonstrating good combat power in the war.