After the production of the planes was completed, there were not many tasks for them to complete. They were mainly used for training. These planes were a very good choice to train pilots.
More than a hundred pilots would definitely not be able to meet the needs of the Tang Empire in the future. Therefore, after the production of 30 planes was completed, the imperial court recruited more than 200 pilots and began training them.
The subjects of the beginners' training were mainly planes, while the veterans who had been training for a long time began to train the cooperation of formations. The three planes could be arranged in a straight line or in an arrow shape, but the distance between the planes must be controlled well. If it was too close, it would be easy to collide, and if it was too far, there would be no formation to speak of.
Ang Lee spent so much effort to train the ability of the planes to fly together. First, it was to train the pilots' flying skills, and second, it was to train the air force in advance.
Since the plane had been invented, it would be a pity if it was not applied to the military. In ancient society, the main reason why cavalry could become the main force of war was because cavalry had extremely powerful mobility. They could gather quickly and cause a surprise attack on the enemy. The number and quality of cavalry could often determine the outcome of a war.
The Tang Empire's ability to conquer the world was inseparable from its extremely powerful cavalry. Although the Tang Empire now had armored vehicles, cavalry was still a powerful force that could not be ignored.
If the planes could be used in the military, their mobility would be much greater than that of cavalry and armored vehicles. It would definitely completely subvert the military power of the Tang Empire and make the strength of the Tang Army leap to a new level.
With the current military power of the small surrounding countries, it was absolutely impossible for them to compete with the Tang Empire. If the air force was used in the military, these small countries would be completely vulnerable.
The flying speed of the planes was far faster than that of horses. Imagine how the enemy cavalry would feel when they encountered the planes of the Tang Empire when they were fleeing.
In view of the fact that no enemy had planes, there was no need to develop air combat planes. They only needed to develop bombers.
The development of bombers was extremely simple. They only needed to modify the cockpit of the plane, and it could be easily manufactured.
Take the first batch of 30 airplanes as an example. The cockpit could originally accommodate six adults. If it was modified into a bomber, it only needed to remove some of the seats and store ammunition in the remaining space.
During battle, the cockpit could accommodate two people. One person was responsible for igniting the fire, while the other was responsible for throwing the ammunition down. This way, the ammunition could accurately land in the midst of the enemy and cause considerable damage to the enemy.
Especially in the ancient battlefield environment, a large number of troops were gathered together, and the battle formation could be said to be extremely dense. After a large amount of ammunition was thrown, it was easy to imagine the damage it could cause to the enemy.
Ever since Ang Lee decided to develop the aircraft, he had already decided to form a strategic air force of the Tang dynasty and use it as the most elite strategic force of the Tang dynasty. This force was enough to deter all enemies and make them tremble in fear.
With the increase of the number of airplanes as the premise, the training intensity of the pilots became more and more intense, and their skills became better and better. During the training, they could already fly in a team of ten airplanes. Looking from a distance, it was quite spectacular, and this was what Ang Lee wanted to see the most.
Because of the importance of aircraft training, Ang Lee put aside the affairs of the newspaper and the R&D Center. These days, the place Ang Lee went to the airport outside Beijing the most frequently, and he personally gave great guidance.
However, for his own absolute safety, Ang Lee did not board the plane even once, even if the performance of the plane had been tested.
Ang Lee personally trained the airplanes to fly in a team. Such a big movement naturally attracted strong attention from the government and the people. The pictures attached to the Tang dynasty newspaper clearly showed the flight trajectories of the ten airplanes, which looked like the flight trajectories of wild geese.
The commentary next to the pictures also revealed the news that the Tang dynasty was about to form a strategic air force.
As a result, the envoys of various countries and curious people all began to pay attention to the airplanes. They even began to run out of the city to observe the take-off and landing of the airplanes at a certain distance from the airport.
Just like the important airports in the future, there would always be a large group of military enthusiasts and spies around them. The airport of the Tang dynasty could be said to be overcrowded.
However, because the airplanes could not be copied by the enemy, Ang Lee was not worried about it. Naturally, there was no need to send people to drive away these onlookers. Since they wanted to see it, he would let them see it slowly. Anyway, as long as they did not interfere with the normal training at the airport, it would be fine.
With more and more onlookers, many literati and poets also joined the ranks of the onlookers. The content of the airplanes in the Tang dynasty newspaper also increased, and there was one more topic to talk about on the streets.
The training of the airplanes continued. It was only a matter of time before they became an army. For this reason, they must be prepared early to avoid being caught off guard.
Ang Lee had already submitted a memorial to Li Longji and proposed the idea of establishing an air force. However, he had not received any response. Perhaps the emperor was still hesitating! Or perhaps the emperor felt that airplanes were too expensive. Since there were no enemies in the Tang dynasty now, there was no need to spend a huge amount of money to maintain such a costly air force.
However, after thinking about it for a few days, Li Longji changed his mind again. Looking at the comments in the Tang dynasty newspaper, he suddenly felt that it was necessary to establish an air force. This could make the Tang dynasty more powerful and leave all its enemies in the dust.
As for the huge cost, it was not too big of a problem. The Tang Empire was now very rich and had the financial resources to maintain a strong air force.
As for the term "air force" mentioned by Ang Lee, Li Longji did not buy it. He did not like this name, and the ministers were not very satisfied either. What they all liked was the name "Sky Army". Only the name "Sky Army" could reflect the invincible air force of the Tang dynasty.
"Assistant Minister Li, someone from the palace is here."
Ang Lee had just returned to the R&D Center from the airport. Hearing this, he smiled faintly and said, "It seems that His Majesty has thought it through and wants to establish an air force."
As he spoke, he walked to the gate.
"Oh, Gao Weng came in person."
Ang Lee suddenly saw Gao Lishi and felt that it was a little unusual. If the emperor wanted to see him, he could send a little eunuch to tell him. There was no need to ask Gao Lishi to come. This also showed that this must be an important matter.
"Assistant Minister Li, His Majesty wants to know about the training at the airport and when the army can be established."
Gao Lishi said softly and slowly.
"Oh, His Majesty has thought it through and is going to establish an air force. Great, this is really great."
Ang Lee was very happy. Once this epoch-making troop class was established, it would greatly improve the combat strength of the Tang dynasty's army.
"Assistant Minister Li, His Majesty has even thought about the name of this troop. It will be called 'Sky Army'. With the help of the Sky Army, who can defeat the Tang dynasty? In addition, all the soldiers who join the Sky Army are Heavenly Soldiers, and their salaries are the highest among all the troop classes."
Gao Lishi said.
This was obvious. When the artillery was established, the soldiers were treated much better than ordinary soldiers. The armored vehicle soldiers were treated better than the artillery soldiers. Now, the Sky Army was about to be established. The Sky Army had the highest technical requirements, so its salary was naturally higher than that of all the other troop classes.
"Sky Army is indeed more domineering. All the soldiers in the Sky Army are Heavenly Soldiers, which sounds awesome. His Majesty gave it a good name. Let's call it Sky Army. Has His Majesty ever seen it?"
Ang Lee was very satisfied with the name Sky Army. This name was much more domineering than the air force.
"Assistant Minister Li, His Majesty saw that it was very busy here and said that there was no need to let Assistant Minister Li enter the palace. He just asked me to come and ask."
Gao Lishi replied.
"Gao Weng, our training here is very good. We can form an army at any time as long as His Majesty gives the order."
Ang Lee answered without hesitation.
"Oh, that's good."
Gao Lishi replied. After a pause, he said, "His Majesty wants to see the power of the Sky Army, just like how he saw the power of the artillery. It is said that the Sky Army is very powerful. We must let His Majesty see it!"
"This …"
Li An was taken aback for a moment before he said, "That's not difficult. Just organize a large-scale exercise."
"When can the exercise be held?"
Gao Lishi continued to ask.
"Five days. His Majesty only needs to give me five days. I will prepare everything needed for the exercise."
Ang Lee replied.
Ang Lee was confident about holding the Sky Army exercise. However, in order to have a good effect, he had to practice for a period of time in advance to avoid any accidents when His Majesty was watching.
"In that case, we will hold the exercise in five days. His Majesty is still waiting for the report. Goodbye. "
Gao Lishi did not stay for long. After completing the task, he left.
Ang Lee sent him off for a while. After returning, he immediately gathered the best pilots and told them about the exercise. He told them to practice with all their might and not make a fool of themselves on the day of the exercise.
The first generation of planes was relatively easy to fly. These guys could all fly them smoothly. Moreover, they could form a beautiful formation. They had practiced very well.
However, this was far from enough. If they wanted to show the power of the Sky Army, they had to be able to fight and display extremely powerful fighting strength. Only in this way could they gain the recognition of His Majesty and the people. Otherwise, no matter how orderly they flew, they would only be a group of kites.
The Sky Army's fighting power came from their lightning-quick speed. This way, they could deal a heavy blow to the enemy before they could react. In addition, they could quickly catch up and annihilate the enemy while they were fleeing.
However, how could speed achieve the goal of attacking the enemy? This naturally required the planes of the Sky Army to be able to carry a sufficient amount of ammunition. Only then could they achieve a huge blow to the enemy.
With the current strength of the first generation of planes, they could carry more than a ton of ammunition. Excluding the two bombardiers, they could still hold a sufficient amount of ammunition. They were completely qualified to be bombers.
If they wanted to use limited ammunition to cause the greatest damage to the enemy, they had to train seriously. Airdrop had inertia. After the bomb was thrown, it would not fall vertically. Instead, it would follow the flight path of the plane. Therefore, they had to aim in advance. The distance of throwing the bomb in advance was related to the speed of the plane. This required training.
Ang Lee quickly chose the training ground. He immediately asked people to prepare a large number of scarecrows and some flags. Then, he began to explain the main points of the training and let the pilots begin.
"Assistant Minister Li, the scarecrows and flags have been prepared. The ten planes have been loaded with ammunition. We can start training now."
The training ground was less than five miles away from the airport. It was a very suitable training ground.
Ang Lee walked to the viewing platform and nodded. "Let's begin!"
"Bang …"
A loud sound was heard. A signal flare rose into the air.
Then, the roar of the engines came from the airport five miles away. Obviously, the planes that received the signal began to take off.
Because the distance was very close, the ten planes quickly arrived at the training ground. However, they were not in a hurry to throw the bombs. Instead, they arranged themselves in a formation according to the requirements. Then, they flew to the throwing area.
Because they were inexperienced at the beginning, the bombardiers in charge of throwing the bombs started to throw the bombs directly above the target. As a result, the bombs followed the planes as they fell, as if there was an invisible string pulling them forward.
"Assistant Minister Li, why aren't the bombs falling vertically? They have to float forward for a distance, and they float as fast as the plane. How can this be? "
The officer next to him was confused. He picked up a stone and gently let go. The stone fell directly below. This was completely different from the situation of the plane.
Ang Lee smiled and replied, "You are standing still when you throw the stone. Of course, the stone won't move forward. However, the plane is always moving. Of course, it will move forward. You don't understand such a simple principle."
"Is that so? It seems to be true. "
The officer frowned and fell into deep thought.
The pilots and bombardiers who were training to throw the bombs were very anxious. They were all aiming to throw the bombs, but in the end, they could not hit the target. Moreover, the deviation was quite big. A large number of scarecrows and flags were intact. None of them were damaged.
Such a situation was naturally within Ang Lee's expectations. However, the others were somewhat caught off guard, especially the pilots.
"Immediately order the planes to return to the airport. This official wants to teach them a good lesson."
Ang Lee ordered.
"Bang …"
Another signal flare rose into the air.
The ten planes flew back to the airport and landed one by one. The pilots and bombardiers immediately ran off the planes to gather.
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