Although, now the industrial output of the Chinese Empire has surpassed that of the United States. However, if you want to fight with the United States, this is obviously very unfavorable for the Chinese Empire. The Chinese Empire wanted to defeat the United States at the lowest cost. In this way, the Chinese Empire will be able to better dominate the world. To do this, snatching the Hawaiian Islands from the hands of the Americans is a must.

The Hawaiian Islands are located thousands of kilometers from the United States in the east-central part of the Pacific Ocean. It's like an unsinkable aircraft carrier on which a large number of land-based combat aircraft can be deployed. If the Empire had occupied Hawaii and had deployed thousands of land-based combat aircraft there. Undoubtedly, it will be able to have a base in the eastern Pacific to counter the United States. If the United States wants to enter the Pacific to contend with China, it must take Hawaii back. Around the Hawaiian Islands, China can make the United States pay dearly here. Let the aircraft carriers that the Americans worked so hard to build, be damaged here.

However, it is not so easy to take the Hawaiian Islands. The Americans deployed a powerful military force in Hawaii. It's not just the main forces of the Navy that are deployed here. The Army also has a large number of combat units and aircraft in Hawaii. If China wants to take Hawaii, it will have to commit a lot of troops. The Navy's commitment of 12 aircraft carriers will not only ensure the destruction of the naval and air forces deployed by the U.S. Navy and U.S. Army in Hawaii, but will also provide air support for subsequent Marine Corps landings. In addition to aircraft carriers, there were other warships that also needed to go to Hawaii to provide fire support for the landing of the Marine Corps.

It can be said that Emperor Wu Haoxuan's ambition this time is even greater than that of the Japanese in another time and space. At the beginning, the Japanese only wanted to destroy the main force of the US Navy in the Pacific, ensure the superiority of the Japanese Navy, and create a favorable opportunity for Japan to seize the South Sea. However, the Japanese were eventually dragged to death by the Americans with their great industrial might. If the Chinese Empire is to avoid this blind war of attrition with the Americans from the outset, it must win a major victory in the early stages. And only the capture of the Hawaiian Islands is the biggest victory. This will ensure that the Chinese Empire will always have an advantage in future wars.

On the aircraft carriers 'Changbaishan' and 'Culai Mountain,' fighters from the Ninth Carrier-based Aircraft Wing and the Tenth Carrier-based Aircraft Wing of the Imperial Navy were taking off one after another. Both aircraft carriers carried 24 fighters, 24 dive bombers and 24 torpedo attack aircraft, as well as eight spare aircraft. Once in the middle of a war, these ships will be extremely powerful. Of course, 24 fighters seems a little too little. It is even more stretched when it is necessary to provide air defense protection for aircraft carrier formations and escort for dive bombers and torpedo attack aircraft. The reason for this distribution is purely to be able to have stronger attack power in battle. The so-called best defense is attack, and if the enemy's aircraft carrier can be destroyed in the attack, then the threat to one's own side is undoubtedly much smaller. Of course, in order to improve the air defense of the fleet, the Imperial Navy is planning to convert merchant ships into escort carriers. On each of these escort aircraft carriers, it is enough to carry more than a dozen or twenty fighters. An aircraft carrier formation is equipped with two escort aircraft carriers, which is enough to provide the aircraft carrier group with stronger defensive combat power.

For C-class aircraft carriers, the Imperial Navy is still very satisfied. In particular, the strong survivability makes it more likely that this class of aircraft carriers will survive future naval battles. Although, the development of the Imperial Navy on aircraft carriers has far surpassed that of other countries. However, if you want to not lose a single aircraft carrier in a future naval battle, it is obviously impossible. Therefore, an armored aircraft carrier, having strong survivability, is undoubtedly very important. Of course, armored aircraft carriers are also more expensive. If it were to be built, it would take a lot of resources and money. But to rebuild with the hulls of battleships and battlecruisers that they got from the Japanese, these are two different things. The Imperial Navy can be converted with a total of six armored aircraft carriers, which is enough for the Imperial Navy to have a great advantage in future naval battles.

After observing the training of two C-class aircraft carriers, Wu Haoxuan was very satisfied. On the way back, they asked about the next development plans of the Imperial Navy. In the dockyard of the Imperial Navy, however, there were still four hulls of the Japanese Navy's Amagi-class battle cruisers. These four hulls can be converted into more powerful armored aircraft carriers.

"Your Majesty, the Imperial Navy plans to convert four 'Amagi-class' battle cruisers of the Japanese Navy into armored aircraft carriers within the next four years. The first two ships will be refitted this year, and the next two will be refitted. Once these four aircraft carriers are commissioned, the Imperial Navy will be able to use fourteen aircraft carriers. Whether it is the number of aircraft carriers, or the performance, or the number and performance of carrier-based aircraft, the Imperial Navy will be far ahead of other countries. Especially the United States, the enemy of the empire. Marshal Sa Zhenbing said confidently.

The US Navy now has only four aircraft carriers, and next year and the year after, one aircraft carrier will be commissioned. This leaves the U.S. Navy with only six aircraft carriers. That's only half the size of the Imperial Navy. In addition, in terms of the tactics of the use of aircraft carriers and the performance of carrier-based aircraft, the US Navy is far from being comparable with the Imperial Navy. In the event of war, the Imperial Navy would easily overwhelm the U.S. Navy.

Wu Haoxuan nodded, converting four 'Amagi-class' battle cruisers of the Japanese Navy into armored aircraft carriers was originally an established plan. In this way, the Imperial Navy can get the maximum combat power with the least investment. Of course, just these fourteen aircraft carriers, that is clearly not enough. Fourteen aircraft carriers seem like no less. However, in the future large-scale naval battles, it still seems to be somewhat insufficient. The Imperial Navy had to build more aircraft carriers.

"When it comes to refitting armored aircraft carriers, the Imperial Navy must have an aircraft carrier capable of mass production. This class of aircraft carriers will be the main aircraft carriers of the empire in the future. In terms of performance, there must be a significant improvement. In addition, the cost should be as low as possible to facilitate large-scale construction. Wu Haoxuan said.

"Mass-produced aircraft carriers? Your Majesty, how many aircraft carriers of this class do we need to build? Marshal Sa Zhenbing was stunned for a moment, and then asked.

"Conservative estimates, we'll have to build more than fifteen. If possible, more than twenty can be built. Wu Haoxuan said. In another time and space, the Americans built the 'Essex-class' aircraft carriers on a large scale. It was planned to build 32 ships, and in the end construction of 26 ships began. Of these, 24 were completed and put into service. Only 8 were canceled.

At that time, the United States, on aircraft carriers, was completely suppressed by the Japanese. This forced them to use their great industrial power to build aircraft carriers frantically. And the 'Essex-class' aircraft carrier came into being. The main reason why the Japanese were defeated was that they were crushed alive by the 'Essex-class' aircraft carriers built by the Americans with their great industrial strength. The Japanese sank one aircraft carrier of the Americans, and the Americans immediately launched two aircraft carriers. On the other hand, the Japanese Navy could not compare its industrial strength with that of the United States. Aircraft carriers are even less when one is sunk. In the end, he could only be dragged to death by the Americans.

However, in this time and space, it is impossible for the Americans to drag the Chinese Empire to death with their strong industrial strength. The industrial strength of the Chinese Empire is no longer inferior to that of the United States. And, more powerful than the United States. In the field of aircraft carriers, the Chinese Empire threw out the Americans several streets. Coupled with a series of strategic deployments of the Imperial Navy in the future, it was able to seriously wound the Americans at the beginning of the war. If the United States wants to use its strong industrial strength to drag the Chinese empire to death, it is simply impossible, but it will drag itself to death.

"Yes, Your Majesty, I see." Marshal Sa Zhenbing nodded.

The Imperial Admiralty had actually been prepared for a long time. After the completion of the construction of the B-class aircraft carrier, the Admiralty was already planning the next class of aircraft carriers. When refitting the C-class aircraft carrier, the design work on the next class aircraft carrier was not actually abandoned.

When Wu Haoxuan and his entourage returned to Bincheng, the officers of the Admiralty sent the drawings and technical parameters of the next-class aircraft carrier that Wu Haoxuan needed.

This class of aircraft carriers has a displacement of 37,000 tons, a length of 270 meters, a width of 45 meters, a draft of 8.5 meters, a maximum speed of 32 knots, and a cruising range of 20,000 nautical miles. With 36 fighters, 36 dive bombers and 36 torpedo attack aircraft, as well as 8 spare aircraft, the aircraft carrier was equipped with 116 carrier-based aircraft.

"Very good, very nice. This is the next class of capital aircraft carriers of the Imperial Navy. Wu Haoxuan is very satisfied with this class of aircraft carriers. In fact, this class of aircraft carriers is a complete copy of the 'Essex-class' aircraft carrier of the US Navy in another time and space. It's just that there are more combat planes on board, and the performance is a little more powerful.

This class of aircraft carriers was named D-class aircraft carriers. In Wu Haoxuan's prediction, at least fifteen aircraft carriers of this class will be built to become the main aircraft carriers of the Imperial Navy. The four aircraft carriers converted from the Japanese Navy's Amagi-class battlecruisers were named E-class aircraft carriers and F-class aircraft carriers, respectively. (To be continued.) )