Romanian Eagle

"This is the tracked armored combat vehicle that you have successfully improved."

On the day Hoffman parted ways with Major Irascu, he took the train to Constanta, and then rushed to the Volkswagen R\u0026D Center non-stop. Here he looked at the tall tracked chariot in front of him and asked the three main R\u0026D personnel.

Hoffman saw the single tracked armored fighting vehicle in front of him. This vehicle has many differences from the experimental model that always had problems before. It can make people bend over and climb over. And the sloping armor of the car body has become less inclined than before, and he always feels that the turret is a lot shorter.

Helke, still the most eloquent among the trio, stepped forward to answer his questions for Hoffman. "Your Excellency Lieutenant Colonel, this is the limit of what we can do now. This tracked armored combat vehicle needs to be installed with tracks and adapted to complex terrain, so we have raised the body of the vehicle. Now its height is 3.48 meters, which is indeed higher than The wheeled armoured fighting vehicle is 63 cm taller and has also increased in width, but not much to a width of 2.95 m, mainly to accommodate two diesel engines."

Lieutenant Colonel Hoffman asked in amazement after listening to Helk's answer. "You changed the power of the chariot?"

Facing Hoffman's inquiry, another member of the trio, Wang Chaoqiang, stepped forward and explained, "We found that half of the tracked chariots' faults were caused by the vibration to the gasoline engine. We optimized the chassis for this. , but there are still a lot of problems, and we have no good solution. Finally, we thought of replacing the diesel engine with more shock resistance. For this purpose, we found the power laboratory and the Ploiesti Machinery Factory, which has the most experience in using diesel engines. understanding of the situation.”

Lieutenant Colonel Hoffman looked at the oriental-looking researcher named Wang Chaoqiang in front of him. He had known him for a long time. The only person with an oriental face in the Volkswagen factory, and he is also one of the main R\u0026D personnel who want a tracked armored combat vehicle. It is difficult to know him. To this end, he told Wang Chaoqiang. "King, you continue to speak."

Wang Chaoqiang, a member of the trio, continued. "We got their newly developed 80-horsepower diesel engine from the power laboratory, and we found that the efficiency of the diesel engine is more reliable. However, if only one engine is still loaded, the speed of this tracked armored combat vehicle is still not much. Changed, then we widened the interior to allow for two parallel diesels to be placed sideways."

Hoffman asked curiously. "what's the result?"

This time Hulk replied. "It can run 32 kilometers per hour on the road and 25 kilometers per hour in the wild, and this is the data after we improved this test car. Of course, it is not just the power change, maybe you can also see it, the turret Also a lot shorter."

Hulk pointed to the gun on the chariot and continued to explain. "Because we found that if the height of the turret is not lowered, it will be difficult to operate when using this gun. When we tested it, we found that the vibration was too large for the operators inside to use it at all."

Hearing Hulk's explanation, Hoffman asked. "So have you tried to stop and shoot suddenly while you were on the move?"

"I tested it before, and the situation is not ideal. Because it is a periscope mode, this 37mm chariot cannon can hit a distance of up to 300 meters, and no longer hits the target. I don't know what the gun is loaded with. Meaning, in fact, we can completely disassemble it and replace it with a 20mm cannon, at least in this way, we can hit the opponent with a strafing mode."

hear

Hearing Hulk's words, Hoffman also had a headache. To be honest, he didn't know the meaning of this chariot gun that could only shoot at 300 meters.

But this was the order given to him by the king, and he had no choice.

Edel, who has memories of later generations, has always stubbornly believed that a tank without artillery can still be the king of the land? So when developing this tracked combat vehicle, Edel told Lieutenant Colonel Hoffman that he would like to see the tracked combat vehicle have its own artillery on the turret. Although it was in a negotiating tone, after spending some time with Edel, Hoffman knew he had to finish it.

Therefore, the two machine guns on the turret were replaced with a short-barreled 37mm artillery gun. For this reason, the number of machine guns carried by the tracked chariot was reduced from 3 to 2. In the face of the reduction in continuous firepower, Hoffman can only count on the 37mm gun to be reliable. All I can do is let these vehicles take care of each other more during training.

Faced with their improved tank, Hoffman became concerned with other stats. "So what is the fuel consumption of this chariot, and how far can it run with one full fuel?"

"We tested the car and found it to consume 1.34 liters of diesel per kilometer on the road and 1.71 liters per kilometer in the field. Because that's why there are two engines. Two through-hole 57-liter fuel tanks are installed at the rear of the tank, which allows it to run 85 kilometers on the road when full. As for the wilderness, it can only run 65 kilometers and must be refueled.”

Hearing the designer's answer, Hoffman felt that the performance was acceptable. So he asked the most core and topic, the cost of this chariot. "Then how much did you calculate the cost of this car?"

The three designers glanced at each other, and finally Hulk stepped forward and asked. "It depends on how many such vehicles are purchased by the army?"

Hoffman is playing a trick here. "The military intends to purchase 24 vehicles first and test the results before deciding whether to continue the purchase."

In the face of Hoffman's small tricks, Hulk was completely fooled. "If this is the case, then the cost of the first 24 vehicles is 84,000 lei per tracked combat vehicle. As for the future if the military continues to make large-scale purchases, our price will be reduced."

Hoffman was taken aback when he heard the price. "Why is it so much more expensive than a wheeled armored vehicle? At this price, two wheeled armored combat vehicles can be purchased."

Hulk stepped forward and explained to Hoffman, who was jumping up quickly. "Mr. Hoffman, we have not added profit at all, all because the diesel engine is more expensive. And the tracked combat vehicle is a completely different transmission system, and we spend more money. This price can only guarantee that Volkswagen will not Losing money, so no further price cuts are possible.”

Hoffman and the three mushrooms did not reduce the price of the tracked combat vehicle by 1 lei for a long time. In the end, they could only report to the General Staff at this price, hoping that they could purchase the combat vehicles needed for their armored battalion.

In fact, the military department that purchased the equipment did not reduce the price. In the end, at this price, it purchased two companies of tracked combat vehicles from Volkswagen to fully equip the armored battalion.

And Hoffman, after waiting for the chariot he needed, immediately began to experiment with the idea of ​​future warfare in his mind. These armored monsters are often seen marching in the fields around Constanta, and they are constantly rehearsing Hoffman's ideas. During the drill, Hoffman discovered that many of his ideas were very immature. He relied on the armored battalion to constantly improve his tactics, and has been building a sharp sword in his heart, which will one day be amazed by the world.

However, in terms of training funds for the armored battalion, this armored battalion has always been a thorn in the side of the Quartermaster Department of the General Staff. Their one-month training cost can be compared to the cost of two other infantry regiments. It's just that Admiral Pu Lieshan, the chief of the general staff, completely ignores their wasteful phenomenon, and can only make the director of the quarters not lose his temper.

As the main promoter, Eder, in his mind, tanks and chariots are more important than funds. However, he now encounters something that is more difficult for him, and he doesn't even bother to look at the newly developed chariot. 8)