The battle around the Khowaii Islands is enough to prove that compared with the combat capability of carrier-based aviation, especially the offensive capability determined by the combat radius and bomb load, the mobile mobility of the platform is in a secondary position, and is far less important than previously recognized.

If you don't have enough attack power, no matter how good your mobility is, it's all for nothing.

As for the survivability linked to maneuverability, it is nothing compared to high-performance anti-ship missiles, and the tactical flexibility affected by maneuverability can be compensated for by other means, such as accurate and timely intelligence, and an efficient command system.

If it is to be said, carrying combat aircraft with a longer combat radius can allow the combat platform to be deployed backwards, which is equivalent to improving survivability.

It was for this reason that shortly after the end of the offensive and defensive battles of the Khowaii Islands, the Imperial Navy began work on the design and construction of a "multi-purpose aviation combat platform".

The project is not a simple continuation of the "detachable segmented mobile combat platform".

The most prominent change is the addition of operational requirements in other areas.

For example, it is required to have air defense combat capabilities that are not inferior to those of air defense cruisers, as well as to include the combat capabilities of "arsenal ships" in tactical indicators.

While these requirements can all be obtained by adding corresponding segments and will not affect the main function, that is, the ability to operate the aviation, the overly comprehensive requirements will inevitably make the system more complex, and increase the technical risks and construction costs.

The key point is that the combat capability of self-defense cannot completely replace the escort warship, and the combat capability of the offensive nature cannot surpass that of the air force.

In other words, even with a strong self-defense capability, cruisers, destroyers, frigates, and large attack submarines need to be arranged to provide cover for the combat platform. Even if it carries hundreds of cruise missiles, it mainly relies on the combat aircraft on board to carry out strike missions.

That being the case, are these additional needs necessary?

It is only in wartime that the Imperial Navy comes up with this kind of design index, which does not care about cost at all, and aims to achieve the most perfect performance.

Unfortunately, it was the over-the-top requirements that delayed the project from entering the construction phase.

Of course, the strife within the Imperial Navy also had a huge impact.

According to the information disclosed after the war, it was the conservatives who proposed the "multi-purpose" performance at the design stage, but the conservatives who proposed the continuation of the construction of the supercarrier during the project process, citing "technical risks", were also conservatives.

It is not difficult to see that "multi-purpose" is actually a trap set by the "aircraft carrier faction" for the project.

There is no need to delay until the end of the war, as long as the strategic situation is reversed and the strategic initiative is grasped, the Imperial Navy will naturally cancel the project.

Fortunately, in the Imperial Navy, in addition to the conservatives who support aircraft carriers, there are also reformers who support new maritime combat platforms.

Among them, the most representative is Bai Huawei.

If anything, that is, with the support of Bai Huawei, the project of "multi-purpose aviation combat platform" has gained attention and has risen to the level of equipment construction. The key is that after the development of the project was questioned, Bai Huawei also stepped forward and made a comprehensive adjustment.

To put it simply, it is divided into two stages: "early" and "complete" to reduce the technical risk of development.

The "initial type" is actually a simplified version.

In order to reduce technical risks, the "initial type" only requires that the aviation combat capability meet the indicators proposed by the military, and the multi-purpose capability is decided whether to adopt it according to the actual situation, that is, the development progress of the relevant technology, and the multi-purpose capability is provided by a separate combat module.

That is, the combat platform provides only the most critical core functions.

From this point of view, the "initial type" is very similar to the pre-war "detachable segmented mobile combat platform", and there is no essential difference.

It was in this way that the design of the project was completed in just a few months, and construction began in time for the year 151 of the new calendar, the second year of the Great War.

Of course, compared with the "detachable segmented mobile combat platform", the "early aviation combat platform" has a huge improvement in all aspects.

The entire combat platform consists of five core segments, each 250 meters long, and all equipped with power and propulsion systems. Designed for a maximum speed of 30 knots, a cruising range of no less than 12,000 potential, each equipped with several terminal defense systems for intercepting anti-ship missiles.

As such, the main section is able to follow the task force when it is scattered.

However, the real change is within the individual segments.

Although there are some differences between the five main segments, and the functions are not identical, the equipment commonality rate is as high as 95%, and the system commonality rate including the hull is also 90%. The key is to adopt a unified standard connection method, which can adjust the order of each segment as needed.

This means that it has outstanding damage resistance in the combined state.

For example, all five segments can act as propulsion modules, so as long as one segment of the power and propulsion system is still working, the entire platform will sail normally.

More importantly, in battle, the platform can be maintained in combat capability by removing the damaged segments.

Theoretically, any segment can independently operate carrier-based aircraft in service, and its combat effectiveness is equivalent to 50% of that of the "Xue Yuanzheng" class supercarrier.

In addition, only two sections are needed to raise the combat capability of the aviation to the B level, provide the necessary sites for the take-off and landing of 80-ton tactical transport aircraft, and provide all combat aircraft of the air force's tactical aviation units with the necessary logistical support for carrying out combat missions.

Even a heavy fighter such as the "Battle-11B" has a take-off distance of less than 500 meters for air combat missions.

If all five sections are in normal operation, it will be able to provide a 1,250-meter-long runway, which is enough for the Air Force's heavy attack aircraft to take off with full load, and even the "Y-15", a heavy transport aircraft with a maximum load capacity of 75 tons, can take off and land, so as to obtain complete sustained combat capability.

In fact, as long as the positioning problem of segments can be solved, more segments can be pieced together to obtain a longer runway. Theoretically, 10 segments can provide the space needed to operate the Y-10A and H-10A, and become a real floating airport.

The key is also to improve the comprehensive combat effectiveness of the platform by enhancing the lateral support module.

In fact, this is also the essence of the "initial aviation combat platform".

In the standard mission mode, in addition to the five main modules, there are also three horizontally connected support sections, namely the "aircraft support module" connected to the No. 2 main module, the "combat maintenance support module" connected to the No. 4 main module, and the "personnel service support section" connected to the No. 5 main module.

With a length of only 150 meters, these three modules do not have independent combat capabilities, and are equipped with power and propulsion systems that are only up to the level of auxiliary ships.

During combat operations, the support compartment follows the activities of auxiliary ship formations, which are mainly fast combat support ships. Only when it reaches the combat sea area and needs to enter the combat state, it will be combined with the main module and provide support for the combat forces carried on the main module.

Because of the unified interface, the support module can theoretically dock with any main module.

Crucially, it is very easy to expand other assurance modules.

For example, in order to obtain a stronger sustained combat capability, it can dock the "ammunition and fuel storage and transportation module" with a carrying capacity of 30,000 tons on the No. 3 main module. If it provides support for landing operations, it is possible to dock the "ground platform transfer module" on the main module No. 1.

If you give up the ability to sail, you can even connect more support sections through tandem.

Of course, the first task was to turn the "initial aviation combat platform" from drawings into real objects, so the Navy did not ask too much.

Even so, the construction of the "initial aviation combat platform" is still difficult.

The first problem to be solved is that the construction cost is too high.

A set of combat platforms composed of 5 main modules and 3 support modules will be built at six times the cost of the "Xue Yuanzheng" class in the planning stage.

However, on the other hand, the combat capability may not be able to reach six times that of the "Xue Yuanzheng" class.

The six "Xue Yuanzheng" class ships can carry about 600 carrier-based aircraft, and 250 carrier-based aircraft can be dispatched to attack targets within a range of 1,500 kilometers at a time. The "Initial Aviation Combat Platform" can carry a maximum of 400 carrier-based aircraft, and 120 aircraft can be dispatched in one attack. It seems that the combat capability of the latter is less than half that of the former. Even if the combat radius is calculated, the combat capability of the latter is only 75% of that of the former, based on the amount of ammunition thrown per unit distance. It is clear that the cost-effectiveness ratio of the "initial aviation combat platform" is very poor.

In fact, this is also the main basis for conservatives to advocate the construction of aircraft carriers.

However, it is the combat efficiency advocated by the conservatives that allows the "early aviation combat platform" to receive the full support of the upper echelons of the empire.

The reason is very simple: After being appropriately strengthened, the "initial aviation combat platform" will be able to provide support for all combat aircraft, including strategic bombers, thereby greatly enhancing the strategic strike capability of the Navy and becoming the basis for realizing joint operations of multiple services and arms.

Relatively speaking, in terms of strategic strike capabilities, the combat effectiveness of supercarriers is zero.

The impact of technology is actually more serious than the cost of construction.

The first technical problem that must be solved, and which cannot be bypassed, is the "all-electric propulsion system" and the "integrated power management system" that is closely related to it.

Electric propulsion, in fact, is nothing new.

Even before the First Global War, the Imperial Navy and the Nuland Navy experimented with the use of electric motors to propel warships, and also gained some practical experience.

The real difficulty is the all-electric propulsion system, which is based on the integrated power management system.

To put it more bluntly, it is to let the traditional power systems such as gas turbines and diesel engines only drive generators, and the electric energy generated is managed in a unified manner, and distributed to power-consuming equipment such as propulsion motors and fire control radars according to actual needs, so as to obtain the most ideal energy efficiency.

Since the propeller is no longer driven by the propeller shaft, the main consideration can be when arranging the power system, such as dispersing the gas turbine in the front and rear compartments, to ensure that in the event of an attack, all the power equipment will not be lost at once.

In addition, it is possible to flexibly use the power system of all cabins to optimize the distribution of power and electrical energy without adding equipment.

There is no doubt that the "integrated power management system" is of epoch-making significance, and it is the most important power revolution after the birth of gas turbines.

However, the technical difficulty is also very huge.

In fact, even the most basic all-electric propulsion system was very challenging at the time.

The most challenging is the shaftless propulsion system based on high-power electric motors.

In a sense, the shaftless propulsion system is the basic technology of the "initial aviation combat platform".

The reason is also very simple, if the traditional propulsion system is used, a separate propulsion module must be set up, which means that the main module cannot be equipped with autonomous navigation ability, let alone the maneuverability comparable to that of a large warship. The point is that the commonality of the main compartment is a necessary condition for the realization of tactical functions.

The solution, which is to use a propulsion pod.

In fact, it is these technical problems that have repeatedly extended the construction period of the "initial aviation combat platform". Initially, it was planned to build eight modules in 18 months, followed by six months for acceptance and testing to ensure that combat effectiveness would be formed within 24 months. In reality, however, it took 42 months to build only five main modules, followed by 20 months to build three support modules. By the time all the tests were completed, it was already the 66th month. As a result, it was delivered to the Imperial Navy only after the end of the war.

As for reaching operational status, it will have to wait a few more years.

From the point of view of the war, this bold attempt by the Imperial Navy failed to achieve substantial results.

The key point is that the military value of the "aviation combat platform" has not been tested by the fire.

Because of the huge cost and the occupation of a lot of resources, the construction of other warships has been affected, so the "aviation combat platform" has been criticized, and even Bai Huawei and other admirals who supported the project have been criticized, and they should be held responsible.

Of course, conservatives have been working in the opposite direction.

The most representative is to use Bai Huawei's father's name to name the third supercarrier, as if using this name can make Bai Huawei change his mind.

With the situation at that time, the "Bai Zhizhan" class made a subtraction in the design and construction, which was to put pressure on Bai Huawei.

All in all, the "aviation combat platform" was not very popular during the Great War.

It's just that no one can deny that it was the persistence of Bai Huawei and others that made the Imperial Navy walk in the forefront of the times after the war.

The impact of the "aviation combat platform" on the Navy is by no means below the aircraft carrier.

In a sense, the "aviation combat platform" is actually a complete body of an aircraft carrier.

Compared with aircraft carriers, the "aviation combat platform" has not only strengthened its offensive capability, but also enhanced its combat capability in other aspects, and has become an all-round maritime combat platform integrating attack, defense, support support, troop preparation, material transfer and deployment, and command and communication.

A well-established "aviation combat platform" is in fact a fully functional comprehensive military base.

In terms of influence, the "aviation combat platform" not only ushered in the second spring of the navy, but also completely changed the face of warfare, giving the basic strategy advocated by the new military doctrine a material basis of concrete facts. Since then, the international situation portrayed through military struggle has undergone earth-shaking changes, and the traditional military thinking of using global war as the main means has become history.