After the crosswind takeoff and landing training was completed, the aircraft carrier formation maintained its course and continued sailing outward.
After the fleet bypassed the virtual thunderstorm area, the reconnaissance aircraft group also confirmed the identity of the simulated suspicious target.
After the news was reported to the command headquarters, the aviation groups of the two aircraft carriers became busy again and began to prepare for formal air strikes.
The specific details and procedures of simulated operations are determined by the commanders themselves.
However, the logic and ideas of aircraft carrier operations themselves were provided by Zhu Jingyuan in the process of designing the aircraft carrier.
In the eyes of ordinary craftsmen in this world, since Zhu Jingyuan designed an aircraft carrier, it is natural that he can think of how to play the role of this new warship.
But in fact, if Zhu Jingyuan had not had experience in his previous life, it would have taken a long time to go from simply thinking of putting aircraft on a battleship to actually building an aircraft carrier with a relatively reasonable design.
How to play the role of an aircraft carrier in a war may take longer than designing the aircraft carrier itself.
In the original history, from the early 1920s to the late 1930s, the Americans, British, and Japanese did not fully understand how aircraft carriers should be used.
When the Second World War just started, various countries used the experience gained in the past two decades to make some tactics that were eye-catching, but they also made some operations that were dark.
For example, the British aircraft carrier HMS Glorious went to transport aircraft to the Air Force alone, and it brought two old-fashioned destroyers to escort it.
As a result, they met the German Scharnhorst and Gneisenau. These two guys who were at the tail end of the high-speed battleships seized this golden opportunity and won the unique honor of being the only battleship to sink a fleet aircraft carrier.
It was the actual combat experience in World War II that allowed them to basically understand the real and reasonable use of this new warship.
Now, Zhu Jingyuan took out all these experiences and lessons and told the Ming Navy in the name of his own ideas.
If they train directly according to this idea, they should be able to avoid more than ten years of detours.
At present, it is based on the American full-deck attack mode, with some later aircraft carrier operations and dispatching ideas added.
When launching an official attack, a sufficiently large fleet must be gathered to form a cluster-type attack.
Zhu Jingyuan lay on the window, looking at the fleet of aircraft leaving, and said with a heavy expression:
"If it were in actual combat, facing an evenly matched enemy, I don't know how many of these pilots would be able to come back..."
Zhu Zhongliang, Zhu Jianxun, and other governors all had some thoughts after hearing these words, but they did not speak out.
The hit rate of bombs and torpedoes dropped by aircraft carriers is certainly higher than that of battleships' artillery shells.
But before guided weapons mature, aircraft must also accumulate attack density.
If there are enough aircraft attacking at the same time, the enemy's anti-aircraft firepower can focus on one thing and miss the other, and the engine can be exhausted to cope with it.
Only then can one's side obtain enough effective hits.
From this perspective, a large part of pilots and aircraft in this era are consumables.
Zhu Zhongliang and senior military officers understood this.
But the officers did not think there was anything unreasonable in this line of thinking.
War has been like this since ancient times.
In ancient times, soldiers had to move forward with their spears in hand, and the other side might have to rush into the spear array with their horses.
In ancient times, generals who charged into battle were surrounded by a group of personal guards, who helped the generals resist the chaos of swords and guns on the battlefield.
After the muskets matured, the war became more direct and life-threatening. Both sides stood still and shot each other to see who could not bear it first.
At this time, it does not require the soldiers to have high skills, as long as they can stand still and shoot at the opposite side.
In the era of trench warfare, it was even more important to have enough lives to block the enemy's muzzle.
Therefore, "Compassion does not control soldiers, and righteousness does not control wealth."
Fortunately, Ming's technology has advanced so rapidly that there will be no evenly matched opponents in a short time.
The dual aircraft carrier formation carried out two consecutive strikes, targeting a circled sea area, where there was always an enemy battleship formation.
The fighter jets that took off from the Ming Dynasty's two aircraft carriers poured their ammunition into the sea.
According to the judgment of the reconnaissance aircraft, the theoretical strike results are very good.
At present, warships from various countries in Europe and the West not only have very limited horizontal armor, but also have very rudimentary mine protection facilities.
The simulation target is based on the battleships of various countries in Europe and the West, which is basically a crushing game.
By the evening of the same day, all aircraft returned to the aircraft carrier, and the one-day simulation exercise officially ended.
That night, Zhu Zhongliang and Zhu Jingyuan's grandparents stayed directly on the aircraft carrier.
After having dinner accompanied by the main generals and governors, they went directly back to the room prepared for the two of them on the ship.
Zhu Zhongliang screened away the rest of the crowd and began to ask himself the question he had been holding back for a long time:
"Jingyuan, based on your experience, what state must the aircraft carrier formation reach in order to be considered fully mature?
“Able to cope with nighttime and harsh sea conditions, can we abandon battleships and operate completely independently?
"You said during the day that the most critical technology is radio detection.
“So besides that, what other relatively important technologies can help aircraft carrier formations mature quickly.
"What about the one that finally completely suppresses the battleships and controls the ocean independently?"
Radio detection equipment is actually radar, but radar is a transliteration, and radio detection is the original meaning.
Actively emit radio waves in a specific direction, and then receive and analyze the feedback radio waves.
Based on the characteristics of radio waves, determine whether there is a target in this direction, as well as the target's orientation, distance, and type.
The Japanese translate this device as "electrical detection", which is actually more accurate.
The principle of radio detection was proposed very early, perhaps even before radio communication.
There have been relevant studies in this world for a long time, but they did not receive much attention before Zhu Jingyuan intervened.
After Zhu Jingyuan's special reminder, the Ministry of Industry and the Imperial Consortium of the Ming Dynasty quickly established a special team to work hard in the direction of radio detection.
Zhu Zhongliang also knows the general progress of these projects, and whether they can be put into practical use is not decided by Zhu Jingyuan.
What Zhu Zhongliang wants to know now, what he wants to discuss with Zhu Jingyuan, is not the technology itself.
The key question is actually - how can the aircraft carrier fleet become a maritime hegemon?
If we look at it from the perspective of battleships, we need to discuss how battleships are eliminated.
This topic is actually a bit big. Zhu Jingyuan sorted out his thoughts:
"According to my understanding, there is no causal relationship between aircraft carriers controlling the ocean and battleships withdrawing from the battlefield.
"It's just a comparison of the offensive capabilities and defensive capabilities of naval ships, and there are several important nodes in the process of moving from relative equilibrium to gradual imbalance.
"Battleships should be eliminated, and the underlying reason for their elimination should be the imbalance of offense and defense caused by technological development.
“In addition to radio detection, aircraft carriers and aircraft, these technologies should also include torpedoes, rockets, guided weapons, etc.
“These technologies will make attacks more and more effective and defense more and more difficult.
"When the time comes to resist the enemy's attack no matter how much armor is piled up, both sides can only give up defense completely and pursue the ultimate offensive capability.
"Strive to completely destroy the enemy before you are destroyed."
Zhu Zhongliang nodded silently after hearing this, and then looked at Zhu Jingyuan to wait for the next sentence, because it was obvious that there was something he had not yet finished.
Zhu Jingyuan continued to explain while organizing his thoughts:
"This process will definitely not happen overnight. At a certain point, the battleship's armor will suddenly become useless, the battleship can be decommissioned directly, and the aircraft carrier will no longer need the battleship to accompany it.
“This is a process in which quantitative changes continue to accumulate and eventually lead to qualitative changes. It is a relatively long process.
“I think it can be roughly divided into three important stages.
“The first stage is to complete the combination of aircraft carriers and carrier-based aircraft, which is our current status.
"The strike capability of aircraft carriers is now very strong. Ten twin-engine attack aircraft can carry twenty torpedoes. The key is that the strike range is unmatched by any traditional warship.
“The second stage is the realization of all-weather aircraft carriers and all-weather combat aircraft.
"In the absence of direct interference from the outside world, the aircraft must be able to take off, land and attack at night, and be able to take off and land in small to medium-scale rainfall and wind and waves.
“It can detect high-intensity rainstorms and lightning in advance and guide the formation to avoid them in advance.
“Radio detection and communication are the key technologies at this stage.
"The pilot communicates with the mothership and companions through radio. He needs to communicate with the air crew through radio and cooperate with light signal guidance to complete the take-off and landing operations.
"Make radio detection accurate enough.
“A radio that is accurate enough allows the aircraft to detect and determine the relatively accurate position of the target through radio without light, and then launch an attack.
“Radio communications are basically mature, but the difficulty is the accurate implementation of radio detection.
"After solving the difficulties in radio technology, how the mothership docks and communicates with the pilots, what kind of signals are used to direct the pilots to take off and land at night, and how to coordinate attacks can all be realized through exploration and training."
Zhu Zhongliang nodded again when he heard this:
"So, when radio matures, can we just abandon the battleship fleet?"
Zhu Jingyuan also thought about it for a while.
“I don’t think so. With all-weather aircraft carriers and aircraft, battleships have lost their value as the main force of attack.
"Battleships are no longer needed in harsh sea conditions, and the only purpose left for battleships is to escort aircraft carriers.
“But this use still has a certain irreplaceability, although it is very small, but it still exists.
“We still cannot guarantee 100% avoidance of unexpected encounters, and necessary military protection must be provided.
"Of all the battleships of any type, none are as durable as the battleship.
“On the basis of such a subtle irreplaceability, coupled with the fact that the battleship itself is a good command platform, the most stable air defense platform, fire support platform, and the most deterrent battleship, it still needs to continue to exist.
"I estimate that this process will take at least ten years, or even longer."
Zhu Zhongliang felt a little regretful after hearing this. Will he never see a pure aircraft carrier formation in his lifetime?
Zhu Zhongliang already has a basic understanding of what the future pure aircraft carrier formation should look like in terms of composition and posture.
So I’m not particularly disappointed now, so I nodded slowly:
"In the past few years, we should first train the basic application of aircraft carriers. Since battleships will exist for a relatively long time, when will they really withdraw from the battlefield and active service?"
Zhu Jingyuan now knows:
“The third stage is a comprehensive upgrade of the aircraft carrier formation’s strike capabilities.
“An aircraft carrier or an essential frigate for an aircraft carrier must have the ability to threaten battleships at close range.
“When encountering a battleship unexpectedly, there must be at least one weapon that can be released immediately, hit the battleship quickly, and destroy it.
“Even if such an aircraft carrier formation is not escorted by battleships, it can still confront battleships head-on and at close range.
“At the very least, they can destroy each other, or in other words, lose both sides.
“In this way, battleships have completely lost their irreplaceability. Whether to continue to build battleships depends entirely on the cost and whether their deterrent effect still remains.
"And the cost of battleships is extremely high...
"So, if our competitors find that battleships are no longer valuable and do not continue to build battleships, then there is no need for us to continue building them."
The moment Zhu Jingyuan paused, Zhu Zhongliang next to him subconsciously asked:
"Isn't this weapon a torpedo... Well, no, the torpedo is not fast enough... It is... a missile!"
Zhu Zhongliang thought about what that weapon was, a missile!
Although the booklet left by Emperor Shizu did not directly mention the relationship between that weapon and the elimination of battleships, Zhu Jingyuan suddenly became clear after looking at it like this.
Aircraft carriers cannot eliminate battleships independently, and missiles cannot eliminate battleships independently.
However, when the two work together, the combat system formed by modern aircraft carriers and guided missile cruisers (destroyers) completely covers the role of the traditional gunboat fleet represented by battleships. The key is that the efficiency is much better.
Battleships are not directly replaced by a new weapon or new ship type.
He has lost his irreplaceability in the new system, and naturally no one will continue to build it.
When Zhu Jingyuan said this, he thought of a logic that sounded nonsense, but actually made some sense.
After the end of World War II, Britain and France ultimately retained no battleships. Vanguard and Jean Bart were dismantled as soon as they were built, and the United States eventually decommissioned all battleships.
The immediate reason for this choice was that their opponent Red Lucia had no battleships.
At that time, aircraft carriers were already capable of night combat, missiles were basically mature, and the combat value of battleships was gone.
The final significance is the influence of the era of large ships and cannons that lasted for hundreds of years.
Battleships are still a powerful symbol in the minds of ordinary people, which means that deterrence still exists.
If Maozi had really built his own battleship at that time, the British, French and European masters would probably have made a fool of themselves.
Britain and France should continue to retain cutting-edge battleships such as Avantgarde, George V, Richelieu, and Jean Bart.
The United States will continue to maintain an active battleship fleet for a longer period of time.
The same is true in reverse. When Iron Father and the design team determined the design indicators of the Type 24 battleship, they initially based it on the standards of Montana.
Iron Father and intelligence officers judged that the cessation of construction of Montana was only caused by the world war. After the war, Americans may continue to build Montana.
At the same time, after the end of the World War, Britain and France continued to build battleships.
Father Iron thought they were building more advanced battleships, such as Alsace and Lion.
But later, more accurate intelligence revealed that the British had built an avant-garde with a grandma's dentures, and the French had just completed the remaining Jean Bart from before the war.
So the loving father of steel lowered the standard of the Type 24 battleship, changing it from confronting Montana to suppressing Iowa, and the tonnage was limited to 75,000 tons.
They believed that the Iowa class had nine 16-inch main guns, a 19-inch main armor belt and a speed of 35 knots.
Because the goal was still too high, the Type 24 battleship was not officially started until the death of Iron Father in 1953.
The new leader of Red Lucia, the Corn Emperor, has obviously different ideas on the navy from the Iron Father.
The Corn Emperor determined that the battleship itself was meaningless. Even if it was a face-saving project of his loving father, it was built just to show off.
Of course, the Corn Emperor, who was opposed to his father, would not continue to build traditional artillery battleships, including battleships.
As a result, the design of the Type 24 battleship was directly cancelled, the semi-finished Type 82 cruiser was directly scrapped in 1955, and the four unfinished Type 68 gun cruisers were also directly canceled and scrapped.
On the other side, the British Vanguard was decommissioned in 1954 and scrapped in 1960. The four George V-class battleships, George V, Duke of York, Anson, and Howe, were all sold and dismantled in 1957 to 1958.
France's Jean Bart was finally completed in 1955, and was directly transferred to the reserve in 1957. Richelieu was also converted into a training ship for dormitories in 1956, and was transferred to the reserve in 1958.
The last two Iowa-class battleships in the United States, the fifth ship Illinois and the sixth ship Kentucky, were not built during the war, but they were not dismantled until 1958 when they were finally decided to disband.
The four completed Iowa-class battleships were all completed in 1958 and put into reserve and mothballed in the port.
The Alaska-class large cruiser, the unfinished third ship Hawaii, was not dismantled until 1958, and the completed Alaska and Guam were not finally dismantled until 60 years.
These large artillery warships, their decommissioning, sale, and dismantling are of course affected by many generations of reasons.
However, the fundamental reason is obviously that the advent of the aircraft carrier and missile era has made them lose their practical role.
At the same time, Red Lucia is not prepared to continue building battleships, which may be an important opportunity for relevant decisions to be made.
Of these two reasons, one is inevitable and the other is accidental.
If the Corn Emperor continues to insist on building battleships, even if the battleship project is just a half-finished product, most of the battleships in Europe and the United States will continue to be retained for a longer period of time.
The death of the loving father of steel represents the end of an era.
