Chapter 465: Airships and Airborne Troops

If it can be said that the current first-generation tanks already possess preliminary combat effectiveness and could even be directly deployed to the battlefield, then Spain's current research and development progress regarding airplanes is, without a doubt, lagging far behind.

In fact, it is easy to understand why. A tank is not actually a complex thing; it is nothing more than mounting artillery onto a car or tractor and then covering it with a layer of sturdy steel armor.

So-called improvements are merely adjusting the internal structure of the tank and replacing the engine with one that is more powerful and stable.

But airplanes are different. Airplanes must fly in the sky, and their requirements for engines are much higher than those of tanks. If a tank breaks down, it merely loses its mobility; the artillery on the tank can still be used, and the soldiers can choose to leave the tank and temporarily serve as ordinary infantry.

But the pilot of an airplane is different. Because the airplane is in the sky, once the airplane's engine malfunctions, there is only one outcome to face: the destruction of the aircraft and the death of those on board.

For airplanes, the failure rate must absolutely not be as high as that of tanks. Before the airplane failure rate is reduced to an acceptable level, Yu Kaluo will absolutely not initiate a plan for large-scale equipment of the armed forces with airplanes.

Even training for airplanes must be conducted cautiously; currently, Spain's research and development progress regarding airplanes has only achieved manned flight of over a hundred kilometers.

If the timeline for the outbreak of the world war is the same as in history, then Spain has hope of possessing airplanes during the First World War.

If the world war were to break out early, Spain might still possess air force units, but the only things the air force units would be able to utilize are those large and cumbersome airships.

Compared to the slightly lagging research and development progress of airplanes, Spain's research and development regarding airships is actually quite advanced.

The airship previously displayed at the military parade was Spain's second-generation product, named the Dreamer.

Currently, Spain's so-called air force units are equipped with a total of 12 Dreamer airships. This model of airship is already capable of achieving long-distance flights of over one thousand kilometers, and its flight speed can also reach a fairly decent 40 kilometers per hour.

If compared to an airplane, a speed of 40 kilometers per hour is extremely slow. For an airplane to truly fly, with the help of wind, it also requires a speed of over a hundred kilometers per hour.

The speed after flying into the sky will be even faster, easily reaching a cruising speed of over a hundred kilometers per hour. Currently, the latest model of airplane under development in Spain can reach a maximum takeoff speed of 105 kilometers per hour, and its maximum flight speed can even reach 130 kilometers per hour, which is almost more than three times the flight speed of an airship.

Do not be fooled by the fast speed of airplanes; current airplanes are still completely unable to achieve commercial use, let alone carry multiple passengers or heavy cargo.

Even for flight experiments, the thinnest pilots are chosen whenever possible; doing so can reduce the airplane's own weight and help the airplane take off and fly better.

If compared to ground vehicles, airships actually still possess certain advantages.

Trains are currently the most mainstream means of transportation in various European countries, and the speed of passenger trains has also experienced very rapid development in the decades since the birth of the train.

The speed of the earliest passenger trains was less than 20 kilometers per hour, gradually increasing to 30 kilometers per hour, 40 kilometers per hour, and the current 50 kilometers per hour.

Currently, the mainstream passenger trains in various European countries can reach speeds of over 50 kilometers per hour, and the speeds of some major trunk lines or express trains can even be increased to between 70 and 100 kilometers per hour.

Due to terrain limitations, the speed of Spain's current passenger trains is somewhat slower than in other European countries. However, on some more important branch lines, such as the lines from Madrid to Barcelona, Madrid to Valencia, Madrid to Santiago, and Madrid to Seville, train speeds can also be increased to over 70 kilometers per hour.

Especially the express trains between the two largest cities, Madrid and Barcelona, can even reach speeds of over a hundred kilometers per hour on some relatively flat and straight railway lines.

If one only looks at this data, one might think that the current speed of trains is very fast. But in reality, the speed of freight trains and passenger trains is completely different.

The average speed of European passenger trains can reach about 50 kilometers per hour, but the average speed of freight trains is less than 30 kilometers per hour, and in most areas, the speed is only a little over 20 kilometers per hour.

The reason is also very simple: trains pull relatively heavy cargo, so the speed of travel naturally cannot be fast. Coupled with the fact that loading and unloading cargo requires more time, the speed of freight trains is delayed back and forth.

If current airships are compared to these freight trains, the advantage in flight speed is still very large. After all, airships can also be used to transport cargo; the Dreamer airship has a payload of 2. tons, and with 9 crew members, it can accommodate a maximum of 20 passengers or 1. tons of cargo.

In addition to the Dreamer airships already equipped by the air force units, Spain's airship research and development project team is also developing a new generation of airships, named the Empire.

Although Spain's research and development focus is on airplanes, most of the research personnel in the airship research and development project team are unaware of this. They still have great confidence in their own research results, and the role currently displayed by airships is also very significant.

The Empire airship is the most ambitious generation of products from the airship research and development project team. According to the entire project team's plan, the Empire airship's own weight will reach an exaggerated 11. tons, which also allows the entire airship's estimated payload to reach over 5 tons, which is more than twice that of the current Dreamer airship.

As the volume of the airship expands infinitely, the airship research and development project team plans to use two or even more diesel engines to provide power for the airship, which can also allow the airship's flight speed to obtain a significant increase.

According to the current experimental data from the airship model, if the Empire airship can be successfully built, it is expected that this airship's flight speed will be able to exceed 70 kilometers per hour, achieving the ability to rival or even exceed the speed of trains, whether for carrying passengers or cargo.

Just imagine, an airship with a payload of over 5 tons and a flight speed that can exceed 70 kilometers per hour still has a quite significant role.

In terms of civilian use, whether it is carrying passengers or cargo, it can allow the public to have one more choice of transportation. Especially for the Strait of Gibraltar, where it is impossible to build a cross-sea bridge, airships can allow Spain's mainland and Morocco to have more choices for transportation, strengthening the connection between the two places.

The role in the military field naturally goes without saying. Although a larger airship means it is more cumbersome, it can also transport more military supplies or soldiers.

Calculated according to a payload of over 5 tons, this airship can transport at most over 60 soldiers, which can allow Spain to form its own airborne troops.

If it were only to air-drop 60 soldiers, of course, it would not be of much help to the battlefield. But what if Spain equipped dozens or even hundreds of airships at once? Does this mean that Spain possesses the ability to deploy thousands of troops over a long distance at once?

Once such airborne troops are formed, Spain could, when a future war breaks out, deploy troops over a long distance to the enemy's cities and important areas, occupying these important locations before the enemy has even reacted.