Time Slip Reiwa Japan

077 - Dawn of the Jet Era - 1

The development competition of jet-propelled aircraft, driven by the presence of Japan, reached its peak in 1941. Aircraft with jet engines developed by the United States, Britain, France, Germany, the Soviet Union, and Japan took to the skies, marking the birth of the first-generation jet fighters. While each country proudly promoted its jet fighter squadron, those who understood the vision of fighter aircraft presented by Japan's fighters at the same time were also considering stepping up to the second generation of fighter aircraft. This momentum in technological development would accelerate.

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United States

The US's originally high industrial capability, along with technical guidance and documentation from the USFJ and the possession of actual aircraft (F/A-18s), greatly advanced their development of jet-propelled aircraft. With this progress, the US instructed multiple domestic companies to develop jet engines and prototype fighters and bombers. This was an extravagant budget measure that went beyond the normal budget scale, leading to criticism from the opposition. However, the US government firmly believed that this was a worthwhile investment and pushed the budget through. *1

The focus was on developing lightweight single-engine aircraft for interceptors and transcontinental bombers, with the anticipated main battleground being the Promised Land (Frontier Republic) and the Chinese mainland. The enemy was the German-made fighters – and in the future, the jet fighters they would develop.

After a competition involving several companies, a single-engine aircraft with a swept-back wing was chosen as the main aircraft. It was equipped with a weapon control system that was synchronized with radar, designed with maintenance in mind, and aerodynamically refined. The only challenge was the selection of the guns. The existing 12,7 mm guns used in previous aircraft were expected to become underpowered in the future, so a new 20 mm cannon was developed.

The problem was that some senior officers in the US Air Force, who favored advanced technology, questioned the need for developing a 20 mm cannon. They argued that in the future, they would come to equip their planes with highly accurate guided missiles, making the development of a 20 mm cannon unnecessary. In a way, they were proponents of missile versatility.

The USFJ, upon learning of this debate, hastily intervened in the discussion. They brought various information to the discussion, including the difference between the future capabilities of missiles and their current capabilities, as well as the time required to develop missiles with high accuracy in the future. Ultimately, the decision was made to develop a new 20 mm cannon. It should be noted that the most significant factor influencing the decision in the debate was the price of the state-of-the-art air-to-air missiles produced by Japan, which were presented as reference materials.

These extremely expensive active radar-guided long-range air-to-air missiles, which were often ridiculed as talismans with no practical use, were even considered for production interruption in the annual budget negotiations between the Japanese Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Defense. Their price was higher than that of many battleships. Even the US Air Force senior officers, who had confidently suggested importing Japanese-made missiles instead of developing the obsolete 20 mm cannon, were left speechless *3 when they learned the price.

Japan had a stockpile of these missiles in quantities exceeding three digits. Furthermore, the Ministry of Finance officials who participated in the debate visibly winced and shook their heads. The US, with a strong determination, decided to progress with its own missile development and manufacturing in tandem with the development of the American economy.

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Britain

In order to escape the future vision of the "English disease," Britain pursued an all-out policy of approaching Japan, investing in and introducing technology to modernize (rebuild) its domestic heavy and light industries. While allowing political independence in its colonies, Britain coerced them to remain in its economic sphere, thus making them a source of nourishment (markets) for the British economy. As a result, the British economy was gradually regaining its pre-World War I glory.