After confirming that it was the remnants of the empire who caused a stir in the incident, in 168 AD, on the Loya Kingdom border, all base staff were shocked to see the "Volunteer Air Force" claimed to come from the civilian population of the Skira Republic a month ago, which overnight became a flagship squadron of the Republic Air Force. Together with the Kisaa Federal Air Force, who had been cursing along the border the day before, they participated in a special military operation jointly operated by both sides - Storm.

With its powerful performance and firepower, the M-12C, known as the Firebird, firmly controls the ignited sky; The QX-5A is equipped with 18 KD-8A guided bombs, providing strong cover for ground forces in combat. For a while, the outstanding performance of the Republic's air force brought great prestige to the country, demonstrating its strength as a major air force power.

Just as the whole country was celebrating, the high-level officials of the Republic were feeling a headache. Many pilots involved in the operation roast that they were very tired when facing the big regiments of the imperial army. A M-12C can only carry a total of four guided bombs, and one guided bomb can completely destroy a tank or a small team of soldiers... That's not enough! The number of planes that can be dispatched for special military operations is limited. With so many targets, how can they be bombed all at once? The Imperial Legion is not a fool. After one round of airstrikes, can we still have the Republic Air Force take another round?

More than a decade ago, the Republic Air Force could only use high-intensity airstrikes to forcibly exchange war losses. Why is it still playing this game for 168 years now? This outdated tactic really tarnishes the face of the republic.

What does the Kisaa Federation think of me?

What does Loya Kingdom think of me?

What do the northern countries think of me?

What do friendly Western countries… They still treat me like a monster.

In short, after the high-level analysis of the Republic, they have made up their minds - to make changes, and to solve this problem. Then they directly handed over the problem to the National Research Institute to solve

Otherwise? All the designs of the Republic Air Force revolve around the concept of "battlefield aircraft", changing as you please, and not all the previous ones will be scrapped? Moreover, with the vast scale of the Air Force, there is no time to change the theory of operations. So for them, a weapon that can improve the problem is the most cost-effective method.

For this typical "lack of firepower, phobia", after preliminary judgment, they can only provide one answer - increase the dosage (in Chinese, "dosage" and "charge" can be written in the same word)... So if that's really the case, why not just hand an SF-3 hydrogen bomb directly? The explosion range must be large enough. The reason is simple, mainly because the Republic does not have the money to produce so many high yield bombs.

In order to determine the specific type of weapon to be designed first, the project leader will divide the participants into multiple groups for research, and wait for the first meeting to vote and decide. Although there is no prior experience, the country needs it. Comrades muster up their energy, use their intelligence and imagination, and ultimately successfully create a bunch of strange things?

At the end of 169, it was a period of severe winter. In the white world outside the window, looking at the contiguous and bare tree trunks, only a few evergreen trees are left covered in white blankets, covering up the remaining greenery. The general manager put the thermos to his mouth, hesitated for a moment, but ultimately didn't drink it. He turned his gaze to the whiteboard filled with discarded cases, and each one he took out was a shocking presence.

Pick out any one you like. Do you know what "armor piercing, burning, and tracking machine gun ammunition" means? TMD (Chinese curse), why is the old man so imaginative?

"Sigh. Don't worry, comrades also have difficulties." The general manager could only console himself, and the group leaders below didn't look very good either. "After all, innovation also requires trial and error. Let comrades boldly imagine first, in order to break out of the thinking cocoon, not in a hurry, not in a hurry..."

As the meeting reached a deadlock, a young researcher saw that the senior members of the research institute had basically finished speaking and took the initiative to break the deadlock. "Comrades, our group has come up with a method."

"Comrades from Group 36, come on."

Including the team leader, the members of Group 36 are mainly composed of young scientists who have just joined the research institute.

"Why can't we increase the number of bombs dropped?"

... The whole scene fell silent. Everyone looked at him with confusion on their faces. Is it possible that the thing you mentioned is called "one click abandon mounting". But everyone still has some expectations, what if? What if he comes up with a good plan?

Seeing everyone's surprised reaction, the young man quickly added, "This is our group's idea after research. If a bomb can only destroy one tank, can we split one bomb into two bombs so that we can destroy two tanks? And so on, mainly we can split one bomb into enough bombs, which is equivalent to dropping multiple bombs at once, and create a larger bombing zone."

Although the principle may sound simple, it doesn't seem to be impossible either. Everyone present thought that this idea was actually quite good and made thought-provoking movements.

"Ah, of course, our group has only proposed an idea, and we haven't figured out how to design it specifically yet, so..."

The young man suddenly became stuttering. After all, their group has no work experience and will have no way to start when facing new designs. And facing many senior colleagues, they don't have much confidence.

"Comrades, you have come up with a good plan and done it well. Young comrades, don't be afraid to make mistakes. Young people should accumulate more experience. Is there anything wrong? Young people should exude their vitality, be energetic, and boldly work on it. The predecessors are your solid support."

The waves behind the Yangtze River push the waves ahead. After the guidance of the general manager, the meeting ultimately voted to choose the 36 group plan. Bold ideas may seem difficult to design, but it's okay.

"36 group leaders, your group will host the next meeting and provide a detailed introduction to your plan. How much time do you need to prepare?"

The National Research Institute is a collective.

After having a vision, the project finally had its own name: XB-1

After learning about this, the high-level officials of the Republic happily said, "Hello young people. Young people are the future of the country, and you should also support young people."

The meeting held by Group 36 went smoothly. At the meeting, everyone worked on the intricacies of the split bomb while adding some patches to this plan. In the end, two main issues were identified:

How to separate the bomb?

When will the bomb be separated?

Due to the fact that the first question is more important in comparison, everyone should first solve this problem. After the meeting, everyone conducted research and ultimately selected three most feasible solutions.

1. Composed of 50 small bombs, the bombs are dispersed through the principle of central blasting.

2. Composed of 40 small bombs, they are ejected through air compression hangers to separate the bombs.

3. Composed of 48 small bombs, divided into eight combinations, the combination is first ejected through air compression hangers, and then the small bombs are ejected from the combination.

The first option was eliminated first because of its high failure rate. There is constant controversy over the second and third options. In contrast, the second option wins with a low failure rate, while the third option wins with a large bombing range. There is no good idea, so the research institute has decided to manufacture samples first and then vote based on the test results.

So, when will the bomb be separated?

The safest solution is actually timing separation, with a simple design and fewer malfunctions. However, the researchers' favorite solution is actually a fixed height explosion, as the final effect of the three separation schemes is related to the height. But the problem is also very simple, it's 170 years now! We haven't had a decisive battle with the Empire's aerial warships yet, and the introduction of magical technology will take almost 190 years.

According to current technology, if height detectors are installed on bombs, the cost of equipping a large number of this type of bomb will rapidly increase; If the altitude is pre imported, the applicability will be greatly reduced when facing terrain undulations such as mountains. So for safety reasons, timing separation is more reliable. It's a big deal to work hard for the pilot. Before dropping the bomb, they should introduce the separation time themselves (so it's important to have a two seater fighter jet).

That year, when the sun melted the snow on the trees, and when bare branches sprouted new shoots, the local saplings flourished. That is spring, a new era.

After solving two main problems, they successfully manufactured several sample bombs in 170 years. The small bomb designed with a new type of charge has reduced its volume and weight, but its individual explosion is not inferior. Plan 2 is equipped with 8 * 5=40 small bombs, while Plan 3 is equipped with 6 * 4 * 2=48 small bombs.

Two M-3 "Flying Fire" fighter jets, often used to test weapons, were carrying white bombs as they took off, and the exhaust flames seemed to be a reproduction of that moment (throwing tactical nuclear bombs). No one knows what today's experiment means yet, but it doesn't matter now.

She was ultimately ejected, along with her children. The figure with a white tinge and a red tint cuts through the sky, making it appear more bulky. But when she removed the shell, she exposed the child she was protecting. As a weapon, she had no choice but to watch the children leave her mother one by one. Even children who huddle together will eventually have to part ways. That day, white snow fell on the testing ground. Snowflakes sway, and sometimes small snowflakes add a romantic atmosphere; Sometimes, blizzards can bury the trail of travelers.

Boobooboobooboom——

Obviously, this is a snowstorm.

In researchers' predictions, the ideal explosion pattern should be a circle, followed by a square. Looking at the experimental results in front of them, the researchers were deeply skeptical. The pattern exploded from Plan 2 is an oval shape, while Plan 3... exploded with a "cross".

?

Researchers couldn't believe that they could stumble on this issue. Moreover, after several rounds of testing, the observers sent by the Air Force were not very satisfied with this. "Can we add more small bombs and bomb a larger area?"

The question raised by the Air Force directly determines which option two or three wins. Due to Plan 2 using 8 × 5 can only increase the bomb count by extending the bomb and changing it to 8 × 10=80; But for option three, it can be completely changed to 8 × 4 × 3=96 not only reduces the increase in bomb volume, but also increases the number of small bombs.

So they ultimately chose option three that could be crossed. They successfully corrected the problem of the bombing range being not round enough by adjusting the ejection force of the hangers in different directions. When they were preparing to install the new 96 separate bombs onto the M-3, guess what? M-3 cannot be pulled.

Overweight.

They just realized that the weight of this bomb had reached five tons, while the previous 48 bombs were loaded with two tons. The general manager can't hold back anymore. Without a suitable carrier, why do I need this bomb? At this moment of confusion, the Air Force, who had heard the news, quickly brought him an M-12C and the latest M-16A.

As a heavy-duty aircraft, the M-16A is truly a "bomb truck" with its excellent payload. After calculation, an M-12C cannot carry 96 bombs, but can carry two bombs with 48 bombs; The M-16A can carry one 96 pack bomb and two 48 pack bombs. After the incident was reported, the high-level officials of the Republic waved their hands - both types of bombs were in service.

So in early 171, these two new experimental planes took off, replacing their elderly predecessors. After multiple snowstorms hit the target's head, the Air Force finally nodded in satisfaction.

In the end, the detachable bomb, also known as the cluster bomb, stepped onto the stage of history. 48 bombs were named XB-1A, and 96 bombs were named XB-1B.

After entering service, the Republic Air Force(except for ground personnel) gave high praise for its advantages, except for the serious interference caused by each deployment on the balance. At home, there has been a wave of hype and even rumors that cluster bombs hold a greater position than hydrogen bombs.

Not only that, countries around the world are also paying more attention. Not only the Loya Kingdom, but also the unreliable "big brother" of the Skira Republic is very interested.

however

At first, the Kisaa Federation felt very novel about this bomb, but after careful study, they discovered a problem. Not only the Imperial Army, but also the Kisaa Federal Army excels in battalion operations. More importantly, apart from itself, the Republic has no neighboring country that excels in large army operations. It is difficult to ensure whether the republic is targeting itself, so, like the one in 155, the federation has to question what the purpose of the republic is.

The conflict caused by the XB-1 cluster bomb is only beginning to manifest now.

To be continued…