"Thud! Thud!" In a secret valley, a huge and coherent sound shook countless birds in the forest.
A brand-new, automatic large-caliber artillery is undergoing intense experiments. This 30 mm caliber rapid-fire gun has a very simple structure and is a very practical "anti-air weapon."
In fact, this artillery will also bear the heavy responsibility of ground defense for the future Airan Hill troops. Chris's idea is to use one weapon to meet the dual needs of the troops in air defense and ground defense.
The selection of caliber for the new weapon system went through detailed discussions. Chris even recruited Modell and held a meeting together.
At first, Wageron thought of using an improved version of the 75mm infantry field gun for ground combat, and at the same time developing a new anti-aircraft gun to defend against possible targets in the sky.
However, this plan was later rejected, because it would not only waste the production capacity of the 75 mm caliber infantry gun, but also may cause more logistical troubles. A simple calculation, this is equivalent to producing three types of artillery shells with different properties.
, the supply side will become more complicated.
The subsequent plan was proposed by Chris. He felt that using an 88 mm caliber cannon could solve both air and ground problems. However, Des felt that the rate of fire of this large-caliber artillery was too slow and was not suitable for attacking the flexible dragon.
, so I was forced to give up.
Chris also felt that before the radio proximity fuze was developed, the effectiveness of large-caliber anti-aircraft artillery was too low, and the range advantage of large-caliber anti-aircraft artillery was not reflected on the battlefield, which made it very easy to use.
The 88 mm caliber cannon has no use.
After all, an 88mm caliber cannon that shoots at a height of 10,000 meters is too wasteful to deal with a dragon that only has a flight altitude of a few thousand meters. A medium- or small-caliber anti-aircraft gun seems to be more suitable.
So, another serious question was placed on the paper: What if a small caliber is used, but the power is insufficient? After all, we are facing a giant dragon with scaly armor. Using weapons such as large-caliber machine guns for air defense, Chris no matter what
No matter what, there is an unsafe feeling.
Therefore, the 12.7 mm caliber heavy machine gun anti-aircraft plan was soon overturned. Deser also believed that relying on such anti-aircraft weapons could not stop both the Warcraft cavalry on the ground and the dragon in the sky.
Then, the choice of weapons began to focus on small and medium-caliber anti-aircraft guns. Chris proposed many plans, and everyone also had their own favorite plans.
For example, General Wilkes and General Modell, who emphasized the mobility of the troops, supported 20 mm caliber anti-aircraft guns, because anti-aircraft guns of this caliber were the lightest and could easily maneuver with the troops and were very easy to carry.
Easy to deploy.
However, this caliber also has some shortcomings, which is the problem that Chris and Des have been worried about, which is that it cannot pose a threat to the dragon.
On the other hand, Waggron, Corea and others support the use of the 40mm Bofors anti-aircraft gun. They believe that this weapon has a very good damage effect and a slow rate of fire. It can be used as a multi-purpose weapon to equip troops.
.
However, the Bofors anti-aircraft gun also has its own shortcomings, that is, its mobility is not very good. Under normal circumstances, this kind of weapon is towed by a tractor and cannot be put into battle immediately.
In addition, most of the barrels of the Bofors anti-aircraft gun are water-cooled, so as to maintain continuous combat capabilities. The navy does not care, since it is not less heavy anyway, but the army really cannot bear it, so it can only reluctantly give up.
Therefore, after some careful selection, the 30mm caliber has become a choice that everyone can tolerate. On the one hand, this caliber can be used as a reference for aircraft guns, on the other hand, the rate of fire and weight are good, and it can meet the needs of combat.
need.
After selecting the weapon, the arsenal worked overtime to start the trial production work. It still had a familiar taste and a familiar formula: Chris took the lead and led a group of craftsmen to use pure manual methods to make what they saw in front of them.
An experimental model of a high-level dual-purpose weapon.
This is a very interesting weapon: it uses a magazine feeding system, which can achieve a theoretical rate of fire of more than 200 rounds per minute. It is also equipped with a steel plate shield for use as a flat-firing turret.
The entire 30mm caliber rapid-fire gun is mounted on a carriage with eight small-diameter wheels to obtain a stable shooting environment and effectively reduce the height. The eight wheels of the carriage are attached with iron on the sides to increase load-bearing and
Support strength.
If necessary, the rapid-fire cannon itself can be removed from the carriage and reinforced on the ground as a fire support point. The artillery can also be directly produced and deployed in castles and important locations to serve as defensive forts.
In short, this is a very versatile weapon. Chris knows that once mass production of this weapon begins, he may have to make do with it for 3 years or more. Unfortunately, this kind of weapon is still relatively advanced.
The rapid-fire cannon cannot be equipped with rubber tires.
"There's not enough artificial rubber..." Looking at those ancient solid wooden wheels that were a bit hairy, Chris felt that his aesthetics was collapsing. A 30mm rapid-fire cannon from the World War II era, plus a medieval
The carriage is really an indescribably sour and refreshing combination.
There is no way, his principality now only has the northern territory, and cannot grow any rubber at all: even if he wants to import a large amount of natural rubber, the Alant Empire, which has already had a tense relationship with Ailan Hill, will not be willing to satisfy Ai Lanthir again.
Landseer's import needs are up.
Thinking that he would be weighed down by something like rubber for a long time, Chris couldn't get better. Even though what he had in front of him might already be the most powerful war machine of this era...
"If that doesn't work, let's start with the Kingdom of Higgs... let them help us buy the rubber from the Dothan Empire. I think Arant won't interfere, right?" General Bourjos suggested.
"We are already doing this." Chris smiled bitterly, shook his head and said: "But there is not much natural rubber...the price is still ridiculously high. Now the surrounding countries have almost reached a tacit agreement on what we want to buy, what
The prices of things have skyrocketed.”
"The price increase is a bit better...The key is that you can't even buy it with gold coins..." Des shrugged his shoulders and said helplessly: "The things we need are becoming more and more complex, and the things we need are more and more complex.
The more we have, the fewer merchants can supply us."
Sighing with some regret, Modell admired: "This weapon is really good. If two cannons are put together, the rate of fire can be doubled!"
"Don't even think about twin installations." Looking at the experimental artillery that was firing, Chris said to the generals around him: "Although I also want to increase the firepower density, the load of the carriage and the recoil are all problems.
It has to be considered..."
"Production capacity is also a problem! We can't produce so many 30mm caliber anti-aircraft guns at one time..." Smith also shook his head and explained: "So, the design is for a single gun and a vehicle."
For factories, carriages with no difficulty actually have no production pressure. What determines the number of anti-aircraft guns is the production quantity of anti-aircraft guns themselves.
"Moreover, when this thing was designed, battle damage was taken into consideration..." After glancing at Wageron and other generals, Chris said helplessly: "This kind of weapon may become a weapon for slaying dragons, and it will naturally be used by others.
The Dragon Knight focuses on attacking... Dragon Breath is no joke."
"Once attacked by a dragon, these anti-aircraft guns and anti-aircraft gun shooters will be lost. Therefore, only by spreading the deployment can we achieve the greatest results." Chris said while showing some unbearable expressions.
Each of these anti-aircraft gunners will fight at risk in the future. They will become the priority target of the dragon and may sacrifice their lives at any time. Only after they are all eliminated, the infantry will
The barrier will be lost, and only after all these anti-aircraft guns are silenced can the dragon knights obtain a more ideal attack environment.
"In addition, there are not enough artillery shells! We are under great pressure to produce bullets. The arsenal has begun to expand, four expansions at a time, all of which are for the production of ammunition." Smith felt a bit like a toothache when he mentioned this.
Modern wars are fought with real money. Those artillery shells and bullets are produced in large quantities, and they are all fired in one battle. Most poor people really can't afford it. Seeing the emergence of automatic weapons, Smith knew that the ammunition of the future
Consumption may be higher.
What he could not imagine was that in another distant world, the US military in the 21st century would need to pour 250,000 bullets to destroy an enemy... What is this concept? This concept is that a 10,000-ton ship loaded with bullets
The ammunition provided by the freighter is only enough to kill 800 enemies...
Of course, Ireland's current level of luxury is far from that level. They can't even equip some anti-aircraft guns. However, it is the anti-aircraft guns in front of them that are firing and testing various performance. For the first time, they are equipped with anti-aircraft guns.
Mortals provide a possibility, a possibility to face the dragon head-on.
"Indeed, if you use a double mount, the ammunition consumption will double. We don't have that much ammunition." General Wageron, who was well aware of the shortage of ammunition, nodded in agreement with Smith.
But Jean immediately told the other party: "However, Minister Smith... your production capacity should really be improved. We are now building more troops..."
"Don't worry! By this time next year, our arsenal will be at least ten times the size it is now!" Minister Smith of the Ministry of Industry responded confidently.