Chapter 1181 Dive Bombing (Second Update, Please Subscribe)

…

In the air, a shrill whistling sound was echoing. Cheng Kewei in the cockpit stared at the simple cross iron ring, which slowly pressed down the target - a target drawn with lime.

“500 meters!”

"400 meters..."

As the altitude continues to decrease, the speed of the aircraft is also increasing.

"Almost done, pull it up quickly, pull it up..."

The people standing on the ground watched the swooping plane and shouted loudly, but it still dived down from the sky like a peregrine falcon hunting its prey, unable to stop at all. Who knows what it would hit in the end.

This is definitely a life-threatening situation.

At this moment, suddenly a black dot appeared from under the belly of the plane. At the same time, the plane suddenly climbed up and flew into the air.

Before Cheng Kewei even waited to observe the bombing situation, he felt a sudden twist in the wing.

Broken...

The acceleration of the dive caused the wooden wing beam to break. He finally managed to control his flight attitude and had to make an emergency landing on an open space near the airport.

"The problem is still the same old one..."

After a successful emergency landing, Cheng Kewei, who survived by chance, lit a cigarette and sat in the cockpit, talking to himself with the cigarette in his mouth.

"The structure of the fuselage needs to be further strengthened. Without it, the aircraft will not be able to withstand the impact of high-speed dives and pull-ups. As long as the fuselage structure is strengthened, dive bombing still has a bright future."

Although the increasing speed during the dive almost made it impossible for him to recover from the dive, the bombing effect was very good, the bombing accuracy was quite high, and the bomb hit the target accurately.

The only problem is the strength of the aircraft fuselage.

"Increasing the strength of the fuselage means increasing the weight. As the weight increases, the engine power also needs to increase. As the engine power increases, the weight will also increase, and the weight of the aircraft will also increase..."

In the cabin, while technicians were repairing the damaged wooden wing spar, Cheng Kewei once again discussed with designer Li Lin.

"Engineer Li, what's wrong with focusing on the first point? I've tried it. Dive bombing has good accuracy. Compared to horizontal bombing, no matter how we improve it, it can't compare to airships in terms of bomb load. What do airplanes rely on? It's nothing more than good maneuverability. They are natural killers of airships. But if airplanes want to replace airships, they must show their advantages in bombing."

Cheng Kewei said, pointing at his plane.

"Dive bombing is the best choice. Its bombing accuracy is quite high, and the bombs can hit the target accurately. In horizontal bombing, 100 bombs may not be able to hit a warship, but dive bombing can easily hit the target. One bomb can severely damage a warship. It is even more powerful than a cannon because it can transport bombs hundreds of kilometers away to bomb enemy warships. Only in this way can the value of the aircraft be fully utilized..."

Get the most out of your aircraft!

This simple sentence broke down Li Lin, an aircraft designer.

Although they were constantly improving their aircraft, they were still like toys and could not be compared with airships at all. They were lagging behind in terms of range and payload.

"Maybe……"

Staring at the newly repaired wing spar, Li Lin muttered to himself.

“It’s definitely worth a try.”

Many times, a decision may change the future. For the engineers and pilots at the base, they don’t know what kind of changes this seemingly insignificant decision will bring to the world in the future, but one thing is certain: at this moment, those planes whizzing through the sky are bound to change the whole world.

…

In fact, the world has already changed.

Although the 1880s was an era of technological change, as in history, the emergence of various weapons such as airships made this era of technological change even more exciting.

Although the naval arms race between the Ming Empire and the United States was in full swing in America, many people around the world were confused by the rapid technological changes. Artillery and power systems were developing with each passing day. The emergence of airships and the development of underwater weapons made people worry whether battleships would become extinct like dinosaurs.

"In the face of airships and torpedoes, battleships are vulnerable!"

I don't know when this kind of argument began to prevail in the European naval community, and the Royal Navy, the strongest navy on the blue planet, also appropriately slowed down its pace of development.

But everyone knows that this is only temporary.

All it takes is one opportunity and everything will change.

"Read the newspapers, read the newspapers, read the historic speech by Lord High Admiral, Lord Northbrook - an open admission that the Royal Navy has been surpassed..."

"The Royal Navy needs more ironclads and cruisers."

Early in the morning, James Bond was waiting for the tram at the public tram station when he heard the newsboy's call, he reached out and called the newsboy.

"Give me a copy of today's Times."

"Yes, sir,"

After taking the newspaper, James Bond saw the news on the front page - "The Most Dangerous Moment of the British Empire".

Such sensational news is the "Royal Navy Crisis". In September, after journalist Stead published a series of articles titled "The Truth About the Navy" in the Pall Mall Gazette, the alarmist words aroused great panic among the people about the strength of the Royal Navy, and they were worried that the Royal Navy would soon be surpassed by the French Navy and the Ming Navy, although Stead's articles were exaggerated. However, this forced the Earl of Northbrook, the Minister of the Navy, to publicly admit that the Navy needed more ironclad ships and cruisers.

"If nothing unexpected happens, Parliament should pass a new bill in the near future to support the construction of the Royal Navy!"

James Bond recalled the MPs who frequently came in and out of Downing Street in recent days. Although they had not yet reached a consensus on the shipbuilding issue, it was certain that Parliament would respond to the crisis soon.

"It looks like a new round of naval competition is about to begin."

While talking to himself, James Bond saw the tram approaching, so he folded the newspaper. As he was waiting to get on the tram, he didn't notice a piece of news in the newspaper at all. The title was printed in nine-point lead type and said that gold mines had been discovered in Barberton, southern Africa.

Few people have heard of Barberton in southern Africa, but just two words are enough to describe it - gold.

No one knows what kind of sensation the news of the discovery of a large amount of gold in southern Africa will cause, but what is certain is that with the pursuit of all walks of life, a new investment frenzy will emerge in London.

(End of this chapter)