The Rise Of Australasia

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Looking at the Labor Minister's face, filled with greed and thirst for a larger budget, one could understand how much the Australasian military valued airplanes.

Indeed, as the country that first used military planes in combat, Australasia had always been ahead of the world in the field of aviation, and the importance it placed on airplanes need not be overstated.

"Factory Director Rafe, what are the current costs for these three types of airplanes?" Arthur didn't rush to allocate the defense budget; instead, he turned his gaze to Rafe Johnson, the long-waiting airplane factory director, and inquired.

"Your Majesty, since these three airplanes all utilize the latest axial-flow jet engines, their speed has been significantly increased, but so has the cost," the airplane factory director Rafe Johnson responded.

"We've estimated the manufacturing costs, and the Eagle-5 Reconnaissance Aircraft is about 37,435 Australian dollars, the Wild Tiger-5 Fighter costs about 44,732 Australian dollars, and the Ghost-5 Bomber is roughly 39,851 Australian dollars."

Arthur nodded, unsurprised by the rise in airplane costs.

The use of jet planes in actual warfare only started toward the end of World War II, and they didn't truly prosper until the Cold War period.

Though the current jet planes of Australasia still lag somewhat behind those introduced in the late stages of World War II, they are already at a cliff-like lead over the current aviation technologies of other countries in the world.

Given the technological leap, the increase in costs was inevitable.

The axial-flow jet engines developed by Disel cost far more than the previous standard airplane engines, not to mention the additional costs from the updates and replacements of weapons.

The good news is that, aside from the somewhat expensive fighter, the costs of the other two military planes are under 40,000 Australian dollars.

Although the cost of the fighter is as high as around 44,000 Australian dollars, in comparison with the exaggerated data of the Wild Tiger-5 Fighter, the investment of funds is definitely not a loss.

After all, it was a technology that only came into use at the end of World War II. Having access to it 20 years earlier, even at a greater cost, is undoubtedly worth it.

Calculating the manufacturing cost of each airplane, Arthur looked at Minister Raul who had been waiting patiently and said, "We should not equip too many jet planes for the time being, and we need to keep it strictly confidential to the outside world.

Taking into account a total of 200 airplanes, I will give you an additional 10 million Australian dollars for the military budget, so that the Air Force can retrofit a batch of airplanes."

"Yes, Your Majesty!" Minister of Defence Raul and the Air Force Commander behind him said eagerly.

While 200 planes might not seem like a lot, given the exaggerated capabilities of the current jet planes, having the advantage in a one-versus-many scenario is entirely feasible, even enough to instantly defeat the planes of other countries.

This also represents an exaggerated concept, that Australasia, with just these 200 jet planes, could decimate the fleets of hundreds of airplanes other countries have equipped.

Add to this the strong existing foundation of the Australasian Air Force, and it's no exaggeration to say that the Australasia Air Force could defeat the combined air forces of all the countries in the world.

This also signifies a fact—that Australasia's native land is virtually immune to threats, as the Air Force's protection negates the need to fear other countries' navies.

Could fifth-generation military aircraft pose a threat to powerful battleships? It's a question worth pondering.

Because this also relates to the strength comparison between Australasia and other naval powers. If fifth-generation military aircraft can threaten the most powerful battleships currently in existence, it means that Australasia no longer has to fear naval superpowers, and may even achieve victory with a smaller navy.

Having secured 10 million Australian dollars in military funds, Minister Raul didn't hesitate at all and immediately signed an aircraft procurement order with the Royal Aircraft Manufacturing Factory Director Rafe Johnson.

Following the aircraft, the weapons exhibition finally concluded. Along with airplanes, the many military achievements showcased also proved the efforts in military technology that Australasia had made over this period.

After witnessing all the new weapons on display, Arthur was in high spirits, quite satisfied with the current development of Australasia's military technology.

The birth of jet planes had stirred even greater ambition in Arthur, like the numerous studies currently underway at the Royal Science Academy.

Though the Royal Science Academy's projects spanned hundreds, covering a wide array of technologies across industries,

if you were to ask Arthur which technology research he was most concerned with, it would unquestionably be nuclear weapons, deemed by later generations as a trump card.

Of course, the current focus was still on nuclear theory research. However, thanks to the continuous transportation of large quantities of uranium to Australasia, and with Arthur's occasional reminders combined with the efforts of many scientists, the basic theoretical foundation for nuclear weapons had been greatly improved.

The first breakthrough was the discovery of neutrons.

As an essential part of atomic theory research, the discovery of neutrons made an indelible contribution to the creation of the atomic bomb.

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After Arthur provided some knowledge from his memory to the Royal Science Academy, many physicists at the Academy conducted a substantial amount of research.

In 1919, Rutherford discovered the atomic nucleus, and by bombarding nitrogen with alpha particles, he produced a different element, oxygen-17, marking the beginning of the era of shooting at nuclei.

With various theories provided by Arthur, the scientists at the Royal Science Academy conducted some studies and discovered a type of radiation that was uncharged and highly penetrating when bombarding boron and beryllium with alpha particles.

The physicists first determined that this new type of radiation did not deviate in a magnetic field, thereby confirming it was a neutral particle without charge. Then they measured the particle's speed, which was less than 1/10th the speed of light, thus excluding the possibility that it was some kind of gamma radiation.

Subsequently, through clever scattering collision experiments, many scientists confirmed that the mass of this new particle was about the same as that of a hydrogen nucleus.

With enough experimental evidence, they successfully explained some changes caused by a new type of radiation.

The discovery of the neutron was a major advancement for Australasian nuclear science. Because neutrons are uncharged, they can be used to penetrate and even split the nuclei of heavy elements without the need to overcome any electric potential barriers.

This also paved the way for the fission of Uranium-235 and the creation of atomic bombs, and thus atomic theory was born, allowing the research into nuclear weapons to continue.

As a result, physicists formally confirmed a model of the atomic nucleus composed of protons and neutrons, validating the theory Arthur had proposed earlier.

After the discovery of the neutron, the following steps became much easier.

Although nuclear theory research in Australasia was conducted in secret and was not as openly published as in the original history,

the good news is that Australasia gathered quite a number of excellent physicists, including top-tier scientists like Albert Einstein who were quite prominent in the field of theoretical physics. The overall pace of research was not slower than in history, and with the support of the Australasian Government, the progress was even faster.

If Arthur remembered correctly, because of the discovery of neutrons, nuclear fission was discovered, and then, somehow, the famous Uranium-235 was extracted, ultimately leading to the creation of the atomic bomb.

Although he had forgotten a significant portion, the forgotten parts could also be completed by these physicists.

In history, only about ten years elapsed between the discovery of the neutron and the construction of a nuclear reactor, and even less than 15 years to the birth of the atomic bomb.

Judging by the current pace, which is even faster than historical records, Arthur was hopeful that he would see Australasia's nuclear weapons before the outbreak of World War II.

Even if progress slowed down, Australasian nuclear weapons should be available at the beginning of World War II.

This was actually quite important; possessing nuclear weapons could greatly influence the course of World War II, as such powerful weapons were a form of destruction to the confidence of an entire nation.
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Moreover, because Australasia had directly monopolized the Congolese uranium mines, and considering the chaotic situation in the United States, it would greatly hinder America's nuclear weapons research.

Forget about developing nuclear weapons first as in history; it was a question worth pondering whether the United States could even refine the theory behind nuclear weapons towards the end of World War II.

Although it was Oppenheimer who truly advanced the American nuclear program, the efforts of many physicists, including Einstein, were crucial beforehand.

Currently, Australasia monopolized the early research in nuclear theory and kept it highly secret, which would significantly delay the pace of nuclear weapons research worldwide.

With a reasonable estimation, monopolizing nuclear weapons during World War II would pose no problems, which meant that Australasia could achieve a higher international status during the war and possibly take over the world's throne from Britain, creating a post-World War II London-Sydney System.

As for the United States, Australasia's biggest competitor along with Britain, it would be best to resolve it before or during World War II, or at least significantly reduce the Industrial and Economic Level of the United States.

A complete United States is very frightening; its current industrial foundation is not something Australasia can compete with. Rather than competing with the United States, it would be better to resolve the issue directly.

Of course, whether to compete with the United States or to resolve it is a very difficult choice.

Although America has various problems, such as racial conflicts, disunity among the States, the People's distrust of the government, and the Military's dissatisfaction with the government,

this country's size and its industrial and economic capabilities are genuinely the world's leading. If not for the drag of its military strength, especially the army, the United States could compete for the position of the current world superpower.

If not for the British Empire's family wealth accumulated over the past hundred years, as well as the economic boost that the vast Colonies brought to the Native Land, it actually would not stand any chance compared to the United States.

With an excellent geographic location, abundant resources, and a vast Population, such a country is always a formidable opponent at any time. The best solution is to plunge it into internal chaos or to break it up into smaller countries.