The Rise Of Australasia

Chapter 448: Chapter 358: Naval Expansion Act

However, this drawback is negligible for the Phantom-4 Bomber, which is undoubtedly the most effective military aircraft of this era.

Imagine, when a large-scale war is about to break out, hundreds of bombers suddenly fly overhead of the two armies.

The incessant bombs dropping and the buzzing of the planes in the ears are enough to destroy the enemy's mental defenses.

As we know, trench warfare was nearly ubiquitous during World War I. While trenches can defend against the enemy's machine guns and cannons, they cannot defend against aerial bombings.

During periods of deadlock in the war, the use of airplanes by Australasia could potentially change the course of the conflict.

Arthur places great importance on the Phantom-4 Bomber, hence the decision to directly order 500 Bombers.

The cost of the Phantom-4 bomber is the most expensive of the three types of military aircraft, coming in at 31,035 Australian dollars each.

This means that the cost of constructing 500 bombers amounts to 15.5 million Australian dollars, making it the most expensive of the three types of military aircraft.

With the combined orders of all three types of military aircraft, Arthur plans to order 1100 military aircraft, with a total cost of over 32.75 million Australian dollars, nearly matching the last year's government military spending.

However, spending these funds is certainly worthwhile. After purchasing these 1100 planes, the total number of military aircraft in Australasia will exceed 1700, surpassing the combined total of other countries.

This also means that Australasia's air force is currently the strongest in the world, and a significant gap has appeared.

It is needless to say how essential air supremacy is in a war. The air force advantage held by Australasia would be of great assistance to the Allies in future wars.

As for the third generation military aircraft in Australasia that are already outpaced, they could be sold to their Allies at a lower price.

After all, for the Allied Nations, the lagging third-generation aircraft from Australasia would still be considered advanced.

They could also leverage the planes sold by Australasia to study the technology and improve their own aircraft.

However, after such a long period of development in the aviation sector of Australasia, it has already drawn over one-third of the aviation power-related talents in the world.

If other countries wish to surpass Australasia in the field of aviation, they not only need to put more effort into the talent aspect but also need the assistance of some top scientists.

The issue is, as other countries are researching aircraft, Australasia is doing the same, maybe even more.

Unless the research in Australasia is obstructed, overtaking in the field of aircraft research would depend on whether Arthur is willing to allow that to happen.

The good news is that after years of development at the military academy in Australasia, there is no shortage of potential pilots.

Even with the sudden acquisition of 1100 airplanes, the corresponding number of pilots could be quickly assigned.

However, if we want the air force to become battle-ready, it might take some time and training.

According to data from the Aerospace Laboratory, the fastest this fleet of 1100 aircraft could be fully constructed would be the end of next year.

The silver lining is that the Aerospace Laboratory, as well as the Aeronautical College at the Royal Military Academy, are equipped with sufficient training planes. As long as their engines are replaced with the latest improved models, they can definitely be used for training purposes.

In view of the time frame of pilot training, by the end of 1914, or at the beginning of 1915, it would be possible for the air force to become battle-ready. Then, even if the war breaks out as scheduled, the air force would be fully prepared to participate.

The order for trucks is just the tip of the iceberg in weapons race that the European countries were engaged in 1913. Even though Australasia's air force has achieved an astonishing lead, Arthur does not think he has taken the advantage in this arms race.

Speaking of which, one cannot avoid mentioning the startling state of the arms race among the European countries.

The naval laws enacted by various countries are simply like passing wind because the actual number of warships built has long exceeded the stipulations of these laws.

So far, within just half a year, Germany has started the construction of five battleships and three battlecruisers, with rumors of at least one more main battle ship to be built.

British, naturally not to be outdone, has begun the construction of seven battleships and six battle cruisers in response.

The number of main battleships built by Britain and Germany in a year is twice the naval force of a major power like Australasia.

This is enough to testify to the exaggerated industrial capabilities of Britain and Germany, but it also indirectly indicates their financial statuses are likely not in good shape.

One should know that the cost of warships is just the beginning. After building a warship, one must also take into account the daily maintenance of the ship, the replenishment of weapons and equipment, and the cost of training soldiers, etc.

Australasia, with just three battleships and two battlecruisers, is already spending significantly. Not to mention the considerable force of main battle ships belonging to Britain and Germany.

It can be seen from the data for the entire year of 1902 that the European powers are broadly operating at a financial deficit.

Only Britain and France, whose finances are relatively stable, are able to barely maintain a balance due to the large amounts of revenue from their extensive colonies.

Germany, without vast colonies, was in a dire fiscal situation.

Of course, the financial state of powerful nations like Russia and the Austro-Hungarian Empire were also not much better, as they were consumed by heavy debts.

Especially Russia, despite its vast land area and population, had an economy that was relatively poor.

If it were not for France's long-standing loans and the continuous financial support from the British Empire, Russia's fiscal state would probably have been the first to collapse.

The naval arms race, although primarily between Britain and Germany, did not exclude other nations from the Allies and the Entente Powers.

As one of the European powers with a relatively good fiscal situation, especially when they had clearly lagged behind in dreadnoughts, the French were not outdone in the speed of their shipbuilding. In just over ten months this year, they crazily started construction on four battleships and four battlecruisers.

There was no choice in this matter, the French were already very late in their response to dreadnoughts.

If they do not make significant efforts, the French fleet may not be able to defeat even the Italian navy, let alone control the Mediterranean Sea.

In the era of dreadnoughts, dreadnoughts were the strongest warships. Moreover, now that super dreadnoughts have emerged, if the French do not make a significant effort in dreadnoughts, there is a possibility that it will become an opportunity for the Allied Powers to break through the blockade of the Entente nations.

It's worth mentioning, while significantly constructing dreadnoughts themselves, France also loaned a large amount of money to Italy, a member of the Allied Powers.

This allowed Italy to acquire adequate funds to expand their military and Italians started the construction of three dreadnoughts and two battlecruisers, clearly trending to shake off their status as a lesser power.

Although the Austro-Hungarian Empire had only built one battleship this year, two dreadnoughts, which it had started building the previous year, had entered the marine testing phase and were expected to be commissioned soon.

The same was naturally true for Russia. Two battleships and two battlecruisers that were ordered from Australasia a long time ago had two already commissioned this year, and the other two had also reached the stage of marine testing.

As a result, to Arthur's surprise, the naval strength of Australasia has been surpassed by all the other powers.

Australasia's status as a major power seems to be teetering, at risk of being surpassed by powerful countries like island nations at any time.

It's not an exaggeration to say that the naval strengths of every major power in the world are undergoing drastic changes every year, all going through a phase of crazy expansion and chase.

At this time, if a country does not have a few dreadnoughts, it's ashamed to call itself a naval power. If a country does not have more than ten dreadnoughts plus super dreadnoughts, it's even embarrassed to call itself a top power.

The disadvantages of Australasia's temporary halt in naval development were also exposed at this moment. If they do not catch up in terms of naval development, the major power status of Australasia, which was acknowledged just a few years ago, may be revoked.

In October 1913, after trucks and airplanes, following a cabinet meeting, Australasia officially announced its second naval expansion plan.

According to the provisions of Australasia's Naval Expansion Act, Australasia's naval expansion will begin in early 1914, for a period of five years.

During these five years, Australasia will build at least two super dreadnoughts and one battlecruiser each year, maintaining Australasia's naval scale at a common power level.

If this five-year naval expansion plan can be successfully implemented, then by the beginning of 1919, Australasia will have ten super dreadnoughts, three dreadnoughts, seven battlecruisers, a full-fledged naval power level.

As soon as this naval expansion plan was announced, it immediately incited a frenzy of cheers and anticipation from the people of Australasia.

No one doesn't want their country to be prosperous and strong. In fact, most Australasians are looking forward to seeing the government expand the navy again, which is not only a manifestation of a strong country but also a better way to achieve the goal of protecting the country, the nation, and the people.

Although this naval expansion plan would make Australasia's military expenditure skyrocket, Arthur understood that if you do not spend a hefty price for preparation before the war, you will have to pay a hefty price to bear the losses during and after the war.

Fortunately, Australasia joined the naval armament competition relatively late, and there were no competitors, so the burden was not too heavy.

Even many civilian banks in Britain and France have stated that they are willing to provide interest-free loans to Australasia to help their ally expand its navy.

Especially after France loaned money to Italy, many French citizens angrily questioned their government as to why they would lend money to their enemy.

Had it not been for the consistent hard-line attitude of the French government that pleased its citizens, it would have been a matter of minutes before the French government fell.

Because of this, many French citizens demanded that the French government focus on its allies. If they have spare money, they should help their allies rather than their enemies.

Being part of the Entente powers and an ally of France, Australasia naturally also gained the attention of French citizens.

After Australasia's naval expansion plan was announced, French citizens publicly stated that if the government wanted to make foreign loans, they should lend to Australasia and Russia.

In addition to France, Britain and Russia were also very supportive of Australasia's navy expansion.

The increase in Australasia's naval strength could greatly alleviate the naval pressure of the British Empire in the Indian Ocean.

This would also allow the British Empire to mobilize more troops from the Indian Ocean region to the Atlantic and European coastal waters to participate in the blockade and combat against the Allied Powers.