Munitions Empire-Chapter 1130 - 1051 is too optimistiChapter
If the Great Tang Empire Navy launches an attack on Mirage Country, the closest and most direct target would be South Island. By-passing South Island and attacking New Island would be an almost impossible task due to the high cost.
Thus, simply by guarding South Island and Ben Island, New Island, situated between them, can be considered absolutely safe. There is no need to mention Northern Island. It would be foolish for the Great Tang Empire to set out and attack Northern Island after bypassing the other three islands.
After the presentation of defense deployments by the army, Navy generals also joined the discussion. This meeting was convened due to the escalating risk of war between the Great Tang Empire and Mirage Country.
"No one can attack the homeland of Mirage Country by getting past Mirage Country’s navy! Over the years, we’ve secretly built 5 super battleships, in addition to the original warships. With a total of 12 battleships, our absolute combat power is unmatched in the world!" Speaking on behalf of the Navy was the Supreme Commander Shen Haiping.
This veteran general’s capability was quite remarkable. Under his leadership, Mirage Country’s Navy stealthily constructed even larger battleships: The new warships employed 460mm caliber main guns and weighed over 40,000 tons!
Although they were not as magnificent as the Yamato-class battleships that Tang Mo was familiar with, the new-age Mirage Country battleships could still be counted among the most powerful in the world.
To meet the needs of modern naval warfare, Mirage Country’s new battleships were also equipped with numerous anti-aircraft guns, making them comparable to the Dongwan-class battleships of Mirage Country’s version.
Shen Haiping confidently assured Mirage Country’s ministers, "We estimate that the Great Tang Empire Navy might have around 10 battleships. They do not match our core strength."
If it were about attacking the Great Tang Empire, he might not have been so certain. But since it was about defending under the cover of his own air force, his confidence was indeed very solid.
Talking about the main force fleet of Mirage Country’s Navy, which he had personally crafted, he seemed to radiate light. The old man was extremely proud, considering the main force fleet as his own blood and kin: "Our Navy’s battleships primarily use 410mm and 460mm main guns, far surpassing the world’s mainstream 380mm, hence we possess a certain degree of advantage in artillery combat."
Mirage Country’s Navy learned from previous failures, focusing heavily on protection and speed. Since the country was established by the sea, the construction of Mirage Country’s Navy was indeed a major focus for the country.
The new warships could maintain speeds at the world’s mainstream level, and protection received unprecedented attention.
Therefore, Shen Haiping dared to boast confidently, "Moreover, the armor protection level of our naval warships is higher. Though the speed is not very fast, it is sufficient... Should a decisive battleship clash occur, we will undoubtedly achieve victory!"
"Of course, based on military wargaming, the Great Tang Empire’s Navy has its advantages as well: they have a significant advantage in submarines, which we cannot offset." After stating his advantages, he objectively mentioned some advantages of the Great Tang Empire Navy: "Even though our newly-produced destroyers include some anti-submarine weapons, their actual efficacy still needs verification."
Another point he has not mentioned: radar technology of the Great Tang Empire has now spread, and Mirage Country has also acquired the technology and built some radar stations domestically.
However, Mirage Country has not yet managed to deploy advanced radar technology on its warships, so the battle vessels of Mirage Country are still blind, solely reliant on human eyes to detect enemies...
Shen Haiping did not feel that such a gap was irredeemable. In his view, radar was merely another means of detecting targets. He could still find the opponent relying on shore-based aircraft; this gap wasn’t significant.
He was not aware that radar could also provide firing parameters for artillery, torpedoes, and missiles. This could not be blamed on Shen Haiping’s lack of exposure because, aside from the Great Tang Empire Navy, not many were aware of this.
So he remained supremely confident, "However, our advantage is that we are fighting on our home ground. We can deploy Dragon Bombers to locate the enemy fleet and conduct anti-submarine operations, forcing their submarines to stay away from our waters."
"Since we are fighting domestically, our air force aircraft can provide cover, giving us an absolute advantage. The Great Tang Empire Navy, stripped of planes, will be as vulnerable as the alliance navy was in the last war." He mentioned an example from the last anti-Tang war.
It was a disgrace for navies worldwide: dozens of main warships gathered at sea, yet they did not dare to attack massive maritime borders of the Great Tang Empire for fear of submarines and aircraft.
In the end, after losing men and resources hastily, the substantial fleet assembled at great expenditure made no impact in the war. It was utterly frustrating.
"All we need to do is wait, wait for their fleet to commence landing. When the enemy fleet is caught in a dilemma, we take the stage and destroy the enemy’s deployed, non-retreatable warships," Shen Haiping laughed and declared his tactic with confidence, "According to the plan, it only takes an afternoon, and their fleet will be sunk by our mighty cannons, no doubt about it!"
In his view, having aircraft to discern the specific situation of the enemy fleet meant that his fleet could appear at the most suitable position at the most appropriate time.
"That year, our covert purchase of the Zero Fighter and Dragon Bomber was simply a stroke of genius! The Great Tang Empire would never expect that we could obtain such advanced fighters!" The newly formed Air Force officer also spoke with full confidence.
Despite their recent high expenditure, the strong capabilities of the Zero Fighter are widely acknowledged; the Mirage Country’s Air Force can be said to have accomplished the biggest achievement in the past two years.
With advanced equipment backing them, the Air Force officers spoke with much more boldness: "The Zero Fighter’s range is long enough, and its performance is advanced enough! It is more advanced than the fighter jets of other countries around the world! This is our greatest reliance! With these fighters providing cover, our warships can attack the enemy’s landing fleet without any reservations! Just by eliminating a hundred thousand soldiers of the Great Tang Empire on the beach, they will realize that attacking Mirage Country is not a good choice."
To be honest, the technology related to the Zero Fighters sold by the Great Tang Empire is quite advanced, which has given the Mirage Country’s military a strong boost in confidence.
The operational ceiling of these planes exceeds 9000 meters, which is far beyond any aircraft previously equipped by Mirage Country. At the same time, the advanced Zero Fighters also possess fully enclosed cockpits, offering a more comfortable working environment for the pilots.
The Zero Fighter, equipped with two machine guns and two cannons, is also considered "formidable" in firepower. Though the actual effect is average, compared to the earlier fighters used by Mirage Country, its firepower can be considered revolutionary.
If one were to look just at performance metrics, it would even be capable of taking on the well-renowned Butcher Fighters of the Great Tang Empire.
And compared to the measly few hundred kilometers range of the Butcher Fighters, the extended range of the Zero Fighters, with auxiliary fuel tanks, exceeds 1500 kilometers! This vast range ensures that the Zero Fighters can cover much farther areas, which is exactly what Mirage Country’s Air Force is most satisfied with.
Furthermore, the Zero Fighters possess unimaginably smooth maneuverability; they are agile and light, allowing them to dominate opponents with nearly invincible maneuvers at mid-to-low altitudes.
It is precisely because of these many advantages that Mirage Country’s Air Force possesses such strong confidence: they believe that their fighter jets, being powerful, can achieve air supremacy on the battlefield. freewebnoveℓ.com
Another reason for the confidence of Mirage Country’s Navy and Air Force is that they do not think the Great Tang Empire has any means to send fighter jets to participate in the war in Mirage Country.
Even the long-ranged Zero Fighters cannot directly cross the ocean to the Great Tang Empire, let alone the Great Tang Empire’s equipped Butchers arriving in Mirage Country.
Even if the Great Tang Empire finds ways to extend the range of their fighters, the number of planes that could participate in the war in Mirage Country would still be very limited. Relying on their massive numerical advantage, Mirage Country’s Air Force should be able to easily crush the fighter jets from the distant Great Tang Empire.
...
"This is the performance data for the Zero Fighter; look clearly at the parameters on it. If you get tailgated, the best way to shake them off is by diving," said the officer in charge of aviation in the operations command room of Great Tang Empire’s Navy’s aircraft carrier, as he handed the documents to his subordinates.
The naval aviators, long accustomed to traversing the seas, each took the documents and began to read.
They soon discovered that the content in the documents was something they had already adapted to during training. Even the Air Force of the Great Tang Empire had deployed Butcher Fighters as hypothetical enemies to help the Navy familiarize themselves with the "enemy’s" combat patterns.
The naval pilots, who have long understood the details of the adversary, now only had one thought: when would they experience firsthand whether the pilots of Mirage Country were as tricky as the army’s aces.
"In terms of speed and maneuverability, their planes are nowhere near our Pirate Fighters; what do they think they can compete with us with?" sneered a pilot, tossing the documents onto the table.
The fighters equipped by the naval aviators of the Great Tang Empire are the much more formidable Pirate Fighters, far superior to the earlier adversaries of the Zero Fighters.
Whether in terms of firepower or speed, whether climbing or diving, the Pirate Fighters are far more powerful than the Zero Fighters. And knowing the weaknesses of the Zero Fighters, the pilots of the Great Tang Empire have countless ways to handle Mirage Country’s Zero Fighters.
To be frank, in terms of air supremacy, Mirage Country is a bit too optimistic.
