The Rise of Australasia

Apart from the improvements to the light machine gun, the military factory made significant progress in artillery technology as well.

The same renowned "French Lady," as an outstanding design among semi-automatic artillery, was quite favored by Australasian experts.

Based on the GA-1902 75mm Semi-automatic Artillery developed in cooperation with Germany, the Royal Military Factory further improved and produced the M1922 75mm Semi-automatic Artillery, increasing the maximum rate of fire for the 75mm cannon to 25 shells per minute.

In addition, the Royal Military Factory also developed the M1922 127mm Howitzer independently, further enriching the artillery system for calibers above 100 millimeters.

Together with the artillery technology from Culver, Australasia’s artillery system became very comprehensive, ranging from the 37mm machine gun to the 305mm giant artillery, all of which Australasia could produce independently.

Of course, these were army firearms. The navy had its own ship guns with even larger calibers, but such immense cannons were somewhat wasteful and extremely difficult to transport for army use.

Both these newly developed firearms, just like the machine guns before, had undergone reliable testing, and this time they were merely being showcased externally.

Clearly, these two cannon models also earned praise from the upper echelons of the military, including Minister Raul, but the level of importance placed on these cannons was not as strong as it had been for the earlier light machine guns.

Nevertheless, the latest 75mm Semi-automatic Artillery needed to be widely equipped to the military to enhance the firepower of the Australasian Army.

Currently, the Australasian Army’s French Ladies and the GA-1902 75mm Semi-automatic Artillery could be gradually decommissioned, and the replaced artillery could be sold to numerous countries, including the Philippines, providing funds for the military’s rearmament and reducing military spending.

Following machine guns and artillery, the weapon showcase by the Royal Military Factory was nearing its end.

However, in reality, this did not mean the weapons showcase was entirely over. Apart from the Royal Military Factory, the tank manufacturing factory and aircraft factory also had respective achievements awaiting Arthur’s review.

Speaking of tanks, Australasia had been engaged in tank development for about ten years.

The results had been quite remarkable, developing not only the first-generation tanks but also the unprecedented T-14 Tank.

However, it had been eight years since the development of the T-14 Tank, and the technology had long supported the tank manufacturing factory in developing newer tanks, such as the currently codenamed third-generation T-22 Tank.

Like the previous T-14, the T-22 Tank also came in two variants: the most common and basic T-22 Tank and the larger, more powerful T-22A Tank.

As the latest main battle tank, the T-22 was highly anticipated by the experts at the tank manufacturing factory, far surpassing the previous generation’s T-14 in its design.

In terms of size, the T-22 was larger than the previous generation T-14, with the crew increasing from five to six, including a driver, a commander, a gunner, a machine gunner, and two loaders.

The tank manufacturing factory had long cooperated with the Royal Military Factory, and the T-22 was equipped with the Royal Military Factory’s most recently developed M1922 75mm Semi-automatic Artillery, significantly enhancing its primary firepower.

Of course, compared to the previous generation of tanks, the secondary weapons also saw a considerable upgrade.

In terms of secondary armament, the T-22 was equipped with an MA-107 Maxim Heavy Machine Gun and a BLN-1 machine gun.

Worth mentioning is that the BLN-1 machine gun can be detached for separate use, greatly ensuring the safety of the tank crew in situations where the tank is incapacitated.

The design of the two machine guns, plus the portability of the BLN-1, allowed the tank to target enemies within a 360-degree range, essentially with no blind spots.

Considering the advancements in other countries’ airplanes and tanks, as well as the development of artillery, mines, and some anti-tank weapons, the new T-22 Tank upgraded the 21 millimeters thick armor of the previous T-14 Tank; the heaviest armor on the tank reached 46 millimeters, and the thinnest part was 32 millimeters.

Also, the tank was equipped with the latest air conditioning system to ensure that the tank crew could operate comfortably in both the sizzling heat of summer and the frigid winter, preserving the tank’s combat ability with minimal interference from weather and temperature.

However, due to the comprehensive enhancement of firepower and armor, the weight of the tank reached 18.7 tons, which was colossal compared to other countries’ smaller tanks, providing it with substantial advantages in terms of size and weight.

An increase in weight also had its benefit: a boost in ammunition capacity. The T-22 Tank theoretically could carry more than 3,200 machine gun bullets, 41 shells, and some emergency supplies, including fuel sufficient for more than 360 kilometers of travel.

Under normal circumstances, the tank could also carry an auxiliary fuel tank to extend its travel distance.

But, in most cases, an auxiliary fuel tank was unnecessary. Firstly, battles requiring tanks to travel more than 360 kilometers without a break were too rare, and tank crews would still have an opportunity to rest and refuel.

Secondly, even with the latest updated T-22 Tank and its engine technology, the engine would not support continuous operation for more than twelve hours. Read new chapters at empire

The current maximum speed of this tank is only 38 kilometers per hour, and its average speed under stable conditions is even as low as 30 kilometers per hour.

Based on the average speed, a continuous drive of 12 hours, that is, approximately 360 kilometers, would be fully covered by the main fuel tank.

Actually getting a modern tank to run continuously for more than 12 hours would either result in the tank breaking down midway, or the tank crew breaking down.

This is also due to the current technological limitations. In Australasia, the situation has already improved a lot, with the actual combat capability of the tanks far surpassing other countries.

Especially on the actual battlefield, the performance of tanks is nowhere near as excellent as it is simulated on flat land.

Before, the T-14 tank’s test data showed an average speed of 26 kilometers per hour, but on the battlefield, the tank’s moving speed generally remains below 20 kilometers per hour, which is far below the expected average speed.

Can this be blamed on tank designers? Actually, it cannot.

Because frankly, no one can predict the conditions on the battlefield, and the environment that tanks face is something that even the most creative designers cannot truly simulate.

Tanks on the battlefield need to roll over various obstacles set by the enemy, including trenches and ditches dug by the enemy.

In normal weather conditions it’s manageable, but if the land is moist from rain, this also increases the power consumption of the tank, reducing its driving speed.

In addition, when a tank is moving, it needs to take into account the follow-up of the subsequent military forces.

The various conditions on the battlefield do not allow the tank to move at maximum speed; the data shown by the tank at this time can only demonstrate that it has such a capability.

In simulations of non-flat roads, the T-22 tank can reach a maximum speed of 31 kilometers per hour and can maintain an average speed of 22 kilometers per hour, already far surpassing the previous generation of tanks.

Although this data may not be achievable on the battlefield, the improvement of the latest tanks over the previous generation is what really matters.

For the current tanks, what is crucial is not increasing their speed, but reducing the breakdown rate and improving their reliability.

It has to be admitted that modern tanks have become major killing machines on battlefields. Right now, no military forces can handle the charge of tanks in groups unless they are heavily equipped with artillery and anti-tank weapons.

But the problem is, current tanks have a terrifyingly high breakdown rate. Even the theoretically most advanced tanks of Australasia cannot avoid their tanks breaking down during combat.

However, the good news is, compared to World War I, there has been a noticeable improvement in tanks from various countries, which also demonstrates the advancement of military technology since World War I.

British tanks had a breakdown rate as high as 60% in World War I, but the current rate has been reduced to below 50%, and it is still being continuously improved.

Even the Italian tanks, which set records for breakdowns during World War I, have achieved a 60% gradient performance in their latest tank research progress.

While it is unclear whether Italy’s test data is genuine, it should be an improvement and at least will not repeat the 90% breakdown rate they had during World War I, which made Italy the laughing stock of various countries for a long time.

In terms of breakdown rates, Australasia has been doing fairly well, with the T-14 tank now achieving a rate below 40%.

The current T-22 tank, in many sample tests, maintains a breakdown rate of less than 30%, which is considered quite impressive among tanks.

Keep in mind, even in World War II, tanks from various countries couldn’t avoid breakdowns. This is a stark technology limitation, as current technology can’t yet achieve a breakdown rate of one to two percent. Australasia’s data is already good enough to satisfy Arthur.

This is also why the new tanks were equipped with detachable light machine guns, to ensure the safety of the tank crew in case the tank breaks down.

While tanks are powerful on the battlefield, if they move into an area covered by enemy fire and break down unexpectedly, they then turn into nothing but sitting ducks.

Even if enemy artillery can’t cover the area, just lying quietly under the enemy’s watch inevitably invites enemy assault and bombs.

At that moment, a detachable machine gun can effectively suppress those threats to the tank, ensuring the tank soldiers remain safe until rescue from their own side arrives.

Until the breakdown rate of tanks is fully resolved, the safety of tank soldiers still needs to be guaranteed.

To properly solve the breakdown rate of tanks, one of the new members in the tank crew is a so-called mechanic, responsible for tank maintenance.

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