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.

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.