"Publish this news in written form nationwide, and announce it through broadcasts throughout the country, concerning the commendations and material rewards to be given to the Bulawayo City Aircraft Research Institute..."

Ernst has decided to spread the news about the aircraft. After all, in a few years, other countries will also develop aircraft, so there's no need to keep it entirely under wraps.

Moreover, even if aircraft come into the world, they won't immediately garner the attention of the military of various countries. Plus, East Africa has accumulated considerable advantages. As long as we continue investing, East Africa can maintain this lead.

As for material rewards, that is even easier to discuss. Aside from money, there are also assets like real estate and automobiles… This is a set of processes that East Africa has explored.

Of course, recognition in reputation is also indispensable. Although it won't be widely publicized internationally, it's quite easy to achieve widespread recognition domestically in East Africa in the future.

"At the same time, have the Bulawayo Aircraft Research Institute share its data with sister units. Now that the Bulawayo Aircraft Research Institute has achieved results, they should speed up their progress."

Naturally, East Africa cannot rely solely on the Bulawayo City Aircraft Research Institute; cities like Mbeya and Harare, which are industrially advanced within the interior, each have their distributions.

Among them, Mbeya has two institutes, Harare and Bulawayo each have one, and it is indeed surprising that Bulawayo could surpass the industrial base and research capabilities of Mbeya and Harare. However, this can further fuel the determination of other related aircraft institutions.

Thinking of this, Ernst continued, "I believe this year, organizing a learning exchange among various research institutions is necessary. Only through mutual learning and promotion can our country's research flourish rapidly."

...

After discussing the rewards for the Bulawayo City Aircraft Research Institute and motivating other research institutions, Ernst began planning the construction of the East African Air Force.

Of course, it's just building the most basic framework; as for forming a complete force, it will take time. After all, aircraft have just emerged, and mass production hasn't been achieved yet.

"Go get Merk and Felix!" Ernst directed, as Merk is the current Chief of General Staff of the Defense Army, and Felix is the Defense Minister.

Soon, both arrived at the Sweet Palace. Felix succeeded Marquis Arman, as Arman was indeed too old, and he had numerous latent health issues from early wars, so he retired. Felix, now in his sixties, is no longer as proud as he was in his youth. The young Felix was a formidable hawk, showing no mercy to natives and enemies.

Merk, on the other hand, is the current Chief of Staff and represents the young officer faction of East Africa. He participated in and commanded many battles, especially showing a remarkable performance in the South African War.

After displaying the footage shot by East African journalists on the projector for them, Ernst asked, "What do you think of this new transportation tool?"

Felix was somewhat surprised: "My Lord, I remember the navy already equipped with submarines, combined with the army's armored units and rapid mobile infantry being formed, and now with this thing that can fly, aren't we achieving air, land, and sea coverage? The advances in technology nowadays are truly astounding."

As the Defense Minister, Felix's academic level is relatively low. After all, as a member of the first batch of mercenaries, his cultural level wasn't high, except for those later enrolled in the Heixinggen Military Academy. Still, Felix caught up with the wave of compulsory education in Germany and later furthered his education in East Africa, making him better educated than Marquis Arman.

Merk then said, "My Lord, are you planning to equip this new invention in the forces as well?"

Given that Ernst called upon the military's chief leaders, coupled with precedent examples like submarines, automobiles, and armored vehicles, his intentions were quite apparent.

Ernst nodded and said, "What do you think of the impact of this equipment on future warfare?"

Merk said, "It's somewhat akin to airships; it should enhance reconnaissance and information transmission, elevating military construction to a new level."

As early as the fifties, the French invented manned airships, and now airships are important ventures for countries attempting to gain a foothold in the sky. East Africa is no exception, except its investment in airships is not significant, equipping only two domestic airships for certain military tasks.

"What do you think is the difference between this new aircraft and airships?" Ernst asked.

Felix: "Just from the footage, aircraft seem to have stronger maneuverability and quicker response speed."

Merk nodded as well but offered a different view: "However, we don't understand the specific details of aircraft compared to airships. Due to stability, airships can accomplish many tasks calmly in the air, and it's uncertain if aircraft can do the same!"

Ernst: "That's natural, but early aircraft certainly don't meet the requirements of airships. Presently, aircraft development has just begun, while airships have matured over four or five decades. However, with technological progress, aircraft will eventually transcend airships. In fact, even now, aircraft already possess many advantages over airships, such as speed, steering, operation, etc."

Merk asked, "How does my Lord plan to apply aircraft within the army?"

Ernst: "Early aircraft clearly serve the army, and their purposes include reconnaissance, transporting special goods, etc. But over time and with technological progress, in my opinion, relying on aircraft, it can completely form an independent military branch, comparable to the navy and army, as the third major branch."

Upon hearing this, Felix and Merk were impressed but did not refute it, as the Crown Prince had proven many judgments correct in the past.

Ernst explained: "Aircraft's application scenarios are broad. Although persuasion is difficult now, before the Industrial Revolution, few would foresee the tremendous impact of inventions like steam engines, internal combustion engines, and generators on human society."

"Aircraft also represent a major step forward as humanity advances towards the sky. In the future, besides navy and land power, there will be air power as well. Aircraft development will enable weapon deployment, suppressing enemies from the sky. By stating this, we have essentially confirmed the establishment of the third major military branch."

"What you need to do is to select a group of elite commanders from the army, preferably with some technical knowledge, to build the fundamental framework of the future air force."

Like the navy, the air force is a technical branch from its inception, challenging for ordinary people to master, so a certain level of scientific literacy is crucial for the progress of the air force units.

Merk nodded and said, "Does My Lord have any other requirements?"

Ernst continued, "Currently, aircraft are just in the early experimental flight stage, so the air force isn't formed overnight. There's no need to rush; following my idea, the East African Air Force should more or less take shape within the next ten years, although not on a large scale. In addition to technical staff, pilots also need professional training, forming a complex system..."

With Ernst's lengthy discourse, the establishment of the East African Air Force was essentially confirmed. Naturally, the air force's early main tasks were to assist the army, akin to the navy's independence. Ultimate independence would at least wait until East Africa's production capacity rises.