Rebirth: Romania Rising

At the secret flight test ground on the outskirts of Pletcher's industry, several strange-looking machines were already ready, their long wings painted in red shining brightly in the sunlight.

What most catches the viewer’s attention is that these aerospace monsters do not have rubber-coated long airbags, metal trusses and pods – yes, they are the earliest domestically produced aircraft in Romania.

One is a test aircraft developed by the Roman Aviation Research Institute, code-named IAR-14. It has a unique appearance, with a double main wing layout, using a wooden structure and tension wires for support, and covering the entire surface of the aircraft.The cockpit is an open design with only a single driver seat.

The aircraft's empty weight is 405 kilograms (892 pounds) and its maximum takeoff weight is approximately 595 kilograms (1,312 pounds).The weapon configuration is usually equipped with a synchronously fired 7.92 mm caliber machine gun, which is installed in front of the aircraft to shoot as many forward targets as possible.

In terms of power configuration, the IAR-14 is equipped with an annular air-cooled engine, usually a Dacia D.III engine produced by the company.The engine has a thrust of approximately 160 horsepower. The engine of the Dacia D.III is a turbocharged, 4-stroke and 6-cylinder water-cooled planetary engine.

It is worth mentioning that this rare aircraft was improved by Eli Calafoli and his brother. The two not only served as pilots in World War I, but also designed and modified aircraft after World War I.

This is an extremely important display, not only because an unknown representative of the Ministry of War, Victor, came to watch it in person, but also because the Minister of War, Prince Mihai, will determine the quality of the aircraft based on the performance of this test flight and a comprehensive evaluation of the results of previous tests. As a result of the bidding, the order quantity will be in hundreds.

The weather is clear and the wind is not strong at the moment, which is a good time for a test flight.According to the original plan, the project was to start at 2 o'clock in the afternoon, but now it is almost 3 o'clock, and we still have not received the start order.

The test pilots, ground staff and related technicians on the side have repeatedly inspected the aircraft. Now they can only look at the conference room of the command center eagerly, hoping that the big shots will come out early to observe, while they pass the time with bored bragging and chatting. , after all, the feeling of waiting is not pleasant.

"Ellie, I heard that the prime minister fell because he offended the king? He seemed to be opposed to military expansion. You have always been a well-informed person. Who do you think can take over from the prime minister?"

"How can we discuss the matters of important people?" Eli Kalafoli frowned, looked at the guard soldiers around him, and whispered, "If I were you, I would not get involved in this. You can hide as far as you can from these things."

"Come on, except for slandering the king, there is nothing else you dare to say. Didn't the former Minister of War look like a clown to you?"

"Why, wasn't it what you told me first? The former minister only knew about the Army and didn't consider the importance of aircraft at all. The Second Balkan War finally started, but in the end we were asked to drop leaflets persuading people to surrender in Sofia."

The two brothers couldn't help but expose each other's background. "This situation is very painful. It's so uncomfortable to hold it in your heart. If the new minister likes it, I'll treat you to a drink at the Flying Club."

"Didn't you see that the prince was present in person today? But his secretary-general didn't come, and he doesn't know anything about airplanes. Seeing that the test flight time has been delayed from 2 o'clock to 3 o'clock, maybe this minister is the same as the previous one, his boss Waiting for my subordinates, this is the first time I have encountered such a strange situation.

He shrugged nonchalantly: "The minister, secretary-general and other big shots can take a look. It doesn't matter to a down-to-earth and honest person like me. Maybe I can be favored by the army this time."

"Well, if you want to hear it so much, I'll tell you. I really can't guess the successor of the Ministry of War, but as you said, the new minister Mihai values ​​the secretary-general very much."

"What are you going to do instead of being a test pilot? Go to the Army?"

"No." Eli said self-deprecatingly, "Now no one shouts 'war only belongs to the army' anymore. The Ministry of War is planning to establish an independent aviation force. The king approved an aviation force with about 400 aircraft. The air force now We are desperately recruiting people from clubs and airlines. Some of the people in the past were frustrated job hoppers, some were pushovers who were pushed out by their superiors, and some were madmen eager for adventure... I am also planning to become an aviation soldier. Maybe a change of environment will be good for my career plans.”

"Hahaha, I see you have taken all three parts! What I didn't say, I have to treat you to a good meal to see you off..."

"Okay! No more talking, no more talking...the representative is here."

Elie's speculation was completely logical: because there were so many things involved, the Aviation Arms Coordination Meeting, which was originally scheduled to end in one hour, was forced to be postponed for another hour, thus delaying the test flight time.

The meeting was uneventful at first. After Mihai's speech, Victor, known as the "little minister" and the soul of the army's war preparations, officially announced that he would take over the aircraft manufacturing, production organization and raw material allocation rights from the Army Technology Department. In the future, Air Force Technology Although everyone found it difficult to accept that the general was only responsible for purely technical functions, they also knew that it was imperative to reorganize the army and prepare for war. What's more, this situation was by no means unique to the aircraft manufacturing industry. The army manufacturing industry had already taken the lead in adjusting and optimizing.

Someone whispered privately: "Looking at this situation, I'm afraid that the military equipment department will be separated from the military services in a while and become a subordinate agency of the Kingdom's Ministry of War."

"You underestimate the little minister's appetite. When the time comes, Mihai will take charge, Victor will take the overall responsibility, and he will also rectify the research and development of armaments. Haven't you heard of his slogan - all for Romania!"

Apparently, everyone in the meeting was not convinced by Victor, who had suddenly risen to a high position and had yet to show off his talents. They thought that he had only made his fortune by serving as an advisor to the prince.Soon their idea was hit by a storm - the king, who came to the meeting in person from Victor, instructed Victor to throw out the aviation rearmament case.

"The "Aviation Armament Reorganization Case" was personally reviewed and approved by the King. There is only one core - in the future, aircraft manufacturing must compress multi-model production lines, concentrate the production and subsequent improvements of a single model, and at the same time carry out large-scale decentralized collaborative production, that is, Different parts of the same model of aircraft are produced by different manufacturers, and are finally assembled at the assembly plant, and the design company is no longer emphasized to complete the production. This determination is unshakable. If you are opposed to this or have doubts, I suggest you go to the Army to find out. Let’s take a look at the “Army Reorganization Case.”

Everyone took a breath of air. The "Army Rearmament Case" is no longer a secret in high-level circles: the Mannlicher 1895 production line, which has made great contributions to the kingdom, has been ruthlessly stopped. In the future, the Army will no longer produce, and the existing equipment will no longer be produced. They will be gradually phased out, either sold to the Kingdom of Yugoslavia in exchange for strategic supplies, or used as training guns for militia forces.

The domestically imported small quantities of the 75mm M.1904 mountain gun produced by the German Krupp Company and the French Schneider-Canet 120mm howitzer were also ruthlessly eliminated.

The Skoda 75mm M.1902 mountain gun has been imported and delivered in large quantities and is widely used by the Romanian army. It also has the characteristics of high reliability, long range and good accuracy. This artillery is slightly lucky and can be retained, but there are prerequisites.

The Ministry of War also issued an order that all Skoda M.1914 mountain guns must be returned to the factory before the end of 1902. No one can escape the fate of being modified. Production of short-barreled mountain guns will be discontinued, and all those already produced must be modified one after another. It is a long barrel M.1902 mountain gun type B.

The Army General Staff had originally criticized such a major change, but was mute in the face of Victor's unequivocal assurance that after the transfer to the unified production line, each factory would organize production in three shifts and increase output. It will delay other military plans.

Victor even set up a bet: He promised to complete the relevant old model artillery modification tasks as scheduled within the next six months and at the same time provide the army with new artillery equal to 150% of the original order, and all of them were the latest Skoda B type. Considering Many parts of the Skoda B model need to be imported, otherwise the quantity will more than double the original production capacity.

If he can't do it, he will directly resign his official position and go back to serve as a soldier. But if Victor completes this plan, then every officer in the army who questions this will stand guard at the Ministry of War for him for a week. , until all rounds are completed.

This bet frightened the originally aggressive officers. They muttered, but no one dared to step forward to accept Victor's challenge.This bet was so famous that it spread throughout the Romanian army within two days. Now every military-industrial enterprise and all branches of the military know Victor's determination, and the aviation industry is no exception. Everyone at the venue waited with bated breath. below.