Empire Conquest-Chapter 833 - 87: The Backbone of Air Defense

Although possessing the world’s most powerful fleet and the largest shipborne air force, as well as the most advanced High-altitude Guns, the Empire Navy wasn’t satisfied. It was the first to invest in developing Air Defense Missiles, the first to equip them, and the first to use them in combat.

The fundamental reason was to protect the carriers well.

Entering the jet age, large-caliber High-altitude Guns became mere ornaments, and there was an urgent need for a more efficient air defense weapon to strengthen the fleet’s air defense network.

This is how Air Defense Missiles were born.

However, Air Defense Missiles are not omnipotent.

More than 20 years ago, the Empire Navy found that the limitation on the combat efficiency of Air Defense Missiles wasn’t the missiles themselves but the fire control system controlling them, mainly radar. It was about whether threats could be detected promptly and accurately guided for missile attacks.

It was at this time that the Empire Navy first discovered the carrier battle group’s "Achilles’ heel."

According to simulations back then, only 30 Anti-ship Missiles were needed to break through the carrier battle group’s air defense network and knock out the main battleships, including the carrier.

Even if unable to sink the carrier, it could render it combat ineffective.

While organizing 30 Anti-ship Missiles to simultaneously attack—in other words, arriving at the carrier battle group simultaneously—was challenging, it wasn’t impossible. Moreover, it was easier to invest in enough Anti-ship Missiles for an attack compared to air defense.

This is the Saturation Attack tactic proposed by the West Continent Group later.

As for why the Empire Navy researched anti-carrier tactics, it was not only to find and remedy the carrier’s shortcomings but also related to the enemy’s carriers. The Newland Republic also possessed large carriers, aiming to build a powerful navy and challenge the Liangxia Empire’s strength.

In this context, the Empire Navy began seeking ways to enhance air defense.

As mentioned earlier, it wasn’t just about strengthening Air Defense Missiles but rather the entire air defense system centered around radar.

At this time, an invention from the Saiyi Imperial Kingdom attracted significant attention from the Empire Navy.

Indeed, it was Phased Array Radar.

Professionally, it’s called "Phase-Controlled Electronically Scanned Array Radar."

Strictly speaking, engineers from the Liangxia Empire proposed related principles decades ago and even built two large Phased Array Radars during the Boi War. At that time, the Empire Navy tested Phased Array Radar on experimental ships, but had to abandon it due to its massive size. The Saiyi Imperial Kingdom’s invention made Phased Array Radar smaller and practically valuable with crystal RF tubes.

Compared to traditional radar, the advantages of Phased Array Radar were prominent, including short scan cycles and the ability to focus beams in one direction for stronger detection capabilities. Theoretically, it could also replace illumination radar in guiding and controlling Air Defense Missiles.

The birth of Phased Array Radar directly solved the top air defense problem for fleets.

On this basis, the Empire Navy began designing and constructing the world’s first Anti-Air Cruiser equipped with Phased Array Radar, using it as the core.

However, things weren’t smooth sailing.

Following tradition, the Empire Navy initially targeted the more advanced and challenging Active Phased Array Radar.

To put it bluntly, they wanted to achieve everything in one step.

Unfortunately, the technical threshold for Active Phased Array Radar was too high. With technology at the time, it wasn’t possible to produce qualified RF tubes.

Even if it could be made, it would be too expensive for the Navy to afford.

This decision led the Empire Navy to take many detours, delaying several years and having profound consequences.

Most notably, due to the consistently high radar system prices and the inability to secure more funding, the Navy had to focus on the battleships, trying various ways to reduce construction costs to keep the overall cost of the Anti-Air Cruiser within an acceptable range.

The main goal was to get approval from the two legislative houses.

As a result, the Navy submitted several design proposals, all rejected because of high costs by the legislative houses.

Through this process, the Empire Navy gradually realized that pursuing high standards was unrealistic.

Not only for the Anti-Air Cruiser itself but for the radar as well.

Fundamentally speaking, at the time’s electronic technology level, if insisting on using Active Phased Array Radar, its cost couldn’t be reduced, and due to its large size and weight, it required more tonnage, stricter power supply and cooling conditions, thus needing a larger platform, leading to high costs for the accompanying Anti-Air Cruiser.

Clearly, the Empire Navy’s demands were too high.

Lowering radar requirements could solve all these problems.

Thus, the Empire Navy decided not to emphasize using Active Phased Array Radar anymore and accept the slightly less capable Passive Phased Array Radar.

Of course, this "less capable" was only in comparison to Active Phased Array Radar.

Compared to past mechanical scanning radar, Passive Phased Array Radar remained quite advanced.

However, the previously lost time certainly couldn’t be regained.

Critically, many air defense warships built after the big war were nearing retirement, and the Empire Navy urgently needed new Anti-Air Cruisers.