African Entrepreneurship Record

The laboratory Philip was talking about was actually just a row of small cottages. After all, the Luqiao Lake basin wasn’t really a bustling place, so the test site’s construction seemed rather sloppy from the outside.

However, as a national secret project personally overseen by the Crown Prince, the facilities were well-equipped. The East African Government even built a road from Mbea City to the test site, though ordinary people would be subjected to checks when arriving here.

Mbea City was originally inland, coupled with the inherent isolation of East Africa, making it impossible for anyone to easily probe the specifics of the East Africa tank test site. Even the upper echelons of East Africa knew little.

Even knowing, they couldn’t possibly attach too much importance, after all, what is a ”tank”? Never heard of it, never seen it, and no one could realize the importance of tanks for future battlefields like Ernst.

”From the engine’s condition, it seems the load is too high, causing insufficient power. This is not something we can solve. We need to cooperate with domestic internal combustion engine manufacturers to improve engine performance. Otherwise, we’ll have to scale down the tank prototype, sacrificing some functions to reduce weight, perhaps achieving similar effects,” said Yarsk to Philip in the laboratory.

Philip: ”Let’s make preparations on both fronts! We’ve long requested solutions for the engine issue, but they need time to produce results. Therefore, we can’t entirely wait for the relevant factories and research institutions to deliver. First, optimize and adjust the tank structure, perhaps lowering some standards, allowing it to debut sooner. As for other issues, we’ll refine them gradually later.”

Both felt that the previous expectations were set too high; tank production actually aligns more closely with the tractor industry, which only emerged in East Africa a few years ago, much later than the automobile industry.

Moreover, tanks differ from tractors; they are much heavier and have higher performance requirements. For example, Ernst has an important requirement for tanks to easily cross trenches, something ordinary tractors cannot achieve.

”Besides the engine, the tracks are also a focus. Many previous failures concentrated in these two areas, so this issue requires collaboration with other institutions to resolve. Also, before the tank is finalized, no one knows what additional equipment will be installed in the future. Previously, we considered cooling issues, but now it’s clear we need to take it step by step, solving its mobility issues first. As for the driver experiencing some discomfort, it’s inevitable,” Yarsk suggested smoothly.

The tank’s interior environment is like a large steamer; the driver indeed suffers. Previously, Philip and Yarsk wanted to focus more on this aspect, but now they must be more realistic.

Actually, the temperature in East Africa, at least in the Luqiao Lake basin, isn’t too high. The average altitude here is over eight hundred meters, making the temperature four to five degrees lower than coastal areas, roughly similar to the spring-summer transition in Europe. So even the steaming environment inside the tank isn’t too exaggerated.

Of course, for Philip and Yarsk, their next task is a major overhaul of the tank’s overall structure, so comfort must give way to practicality. As for the future, wait until the relevant technology matures before improving the tank’s comfort.

In fact, the difficulties in tank research are relatively good; Ernst can provide some references since the overall tank shape hasn’t changed much in the previous life. As for aircraft research, that’s more chaotic, with no related tangible references.

Tanks can still refer to tractors, supported by the tractor industry, while aircraft don’t have this condition. Even choosing the engine poses a big problem, but such matters naturally trouble the relevant researchers.

East Africa’s tank research is ”remote and far-fetched,” and even when developed, it might not see combat. To form combat strength also requires time.

Ernst naturally understands this, especially since before WWII, tanks didn’t perform spectacularly. Because trench warfare was dazzling during WWI, France took a different military route than Germany.

So, in Ernst’s view, if East Africa’s armored units could take shape at the beginning of the next century, it would be ideal. At the very least, they should become a combat-ready troop by 1920.

Of course, this does not mean that East Africa’s tank research progresses slowly. In fact, the tanks at the Luqiao Lake test site already have certain mobility capabilities, only hindered by many small issues that require further improvement.

Optimistically estimated, in three years, the finished product should meet the military’s basic requirements. Issues like the engine and tracks, which Philip and others focused on, aren’t too difficult since technology in East Africa continuously progresses in related fields.

...

Mbea City First Tractor Factory.

”This is Philip’s request. He mentioned that the engine provided last time was still somewhat lacking in performance, hoping we could provide better products. Besides engine requirements, there’s also the track issue.”

In response, Mendes, the factory director of Mbea City First Tractor Factory, asked: ”How is the progress on our latest engine research?”

”Director, the experimental data has been released, with no significant technical problems. However, we only have one prototype.”

”Since that’s the case...” Mendes pondered for a moment and said: ”We’ll strive to replicate one within a month and send it to Luqiao Lake, as they’re urging more urgently this time. If we can meet their needs, in the future, who knows, we might directly sign a stable contract with the military. We have many competitors; Dar es Salaam, Harare, and Mombasa’s tractor factories may all have related research.”

Besides meeting the needs of the Luqiao Lake test site, Mbea City First Tractor Factory also needs the next-generation engine to enhance its tractors’ performance. Thus, supporting the Luqiao Lake test site also aligns with their interests.

Following Director Mendes’ orders, Mbea City First Tractor Factory quickly delivered the latest engine over. As for the track issue, this requires more time since it needs material performance improvement. Mbea City First Tractor Factory can only seek help from Mbea City’s Steel Material Research Institute.

Meanwhile, Philip and others were undergoing major changes to the tank structure. The originally bulky tank prototype reduced its weight by a ton; some armor was also reduced, replaced with lighter materials. Although this greatly diminished defense functionality, there was no other choice.

When the new engine arrived, Philip and others conducted significant adjustments, as the structure of this engine had some changes since it wasn’t the same model.

Thus, through constant adjustments and modifications by East Africa’s tank researchers, the East African tank became increasingly mature. Research is indeed filled with compromise and trial and error.

Moreover, during the tank research process, it involved hundreds of enterprises across Mbea City and other regions of East Africa. Just the Mbea City First Tractor Factory providing major support had parts not entirely self-produced but sourced from other factories, highlighting the importance of industrial foundation for tank research. Of course, the leading role was still played by Mbea City First Tractor Factory.

In East Africa’s tank research, the fastest unit was Luqiao Lake test site, relying on Mbea City’s most complete industrial system and densest research institutions East Africa had.

This reflects the importance of a complete industrial system for military matters. Lacking any link makes tank research significantly harder, especially if relying on foreign imports, which isn’t problematic in peacetime, but inevitable blindness occurs once blocked.