Chapter 416: Chapter 222: Machine Gun Order and Reserve Plan (Part 2)
The firearms experts in the machine gun project group naturally had no objections to such a distribution ratio. Besides the dividend income they could receive, they had already been rewarded by Carlo, with the least getting at least six months’ worth of income, and some well-rewarded experts receiving an additional one or two years’ worth, which was already quite a significant amount of money for them.
The price of 5980 pesetas for the machine gun was acceptable to the military. After a brief discussion, Prime Minister Serrano personally signed a machine gun purchase agreement with Maxim.
The Spanish Military would purchase 420 machine guns at the price of 5980 pesetas each and buy 12,600 canvas ammunition belts, each holding 333 rounds, at a price of 50 pesetas per belt.
The total expenditure for this procurement order amounted to 314,160 pesetas, which was funds that could be squeezed out by the Ministry of Defense, thus not causing much distress to these senior military officers.
The main reason for purchasing only 420 machine guns was the military’s considerations regarding potential issues once the machine guns were equipped in the troops. They planned to equip them on a small scale initially and make large-scale purchases once any issues were confirmed resolved.
As for ammunition, the military leaders were quite generous. With 12,600 ammunition belts divided among the machine guns, each would have a total of 30 belts.
Each ammunition belt contained 333 rounds, which meant that each machine gun would be equipped with nearly ten thousand rounds, allowing the not-yet-formed Spanish machine gun units to train for a long time.
Although the maximum firing rate of the machine guns was nearly 600 rounds per minute, such exaggerated firepower would not generally be used during training.
Because the current machine guns were not so stable, prolonged high-speed firing would not only lead to overheated barrels and potential scrapping but also cause frequent jamming and firing pin breakage.
The machine guns tested were handcrafted by firearms experts, with their quality guaranteed. However, machine guns produced on a large scale would not boast such high quality. When maintaining maximum firing rates, issues could arise within a minute.
Therefore, under normal training conditions, achieving a firing rate of 100 to 200 rounds per minute would already be quite commendable.
Such practice could also significantly reduce the consumption of ammunition, easing the logistical supply pressure on the Ministry of Defense.
The price of a canvas ammunition belt holding 333 rounds was 50 pesetas, which was already close to the income of an adult male citizen for five months.
A machine gun could consume these rounds in just half a minute; thus, with hundreds or thousands of machine guns, the daily consumption of bullets would be astronomical, making it necessary to save whenever possible.
Upon learning of the invention of the machine gun, Carlo contemplated selling such machine guns at high prices to Russia and the Ottoman Empire.
Even if sold to just one of these countries, the income from selling machine guns would far surpass that from selling rifles.
However, after a moment of consideration, Carlo decided to abandon this idea. Premature exposure of the machine gun was not beneficial for Spain, as the machine gun was a strategic asset Carlo wanted to keep hidden.
Given Spain’s large-scale equipment of machine guns, even against enemies like Germany and France, Carlo had no fear whatsoever.
With the Pyrenees Mountains as a barrier, Carlo only needed to establish sturdy military fortresses on both sides of the mountains to rely on machine guns and artillery to thwart any land army invasions from the European Continent.
The advantages of machine guns truly shone in defensive warfare, especially when the enemy deployed massive forces for large-scale group charges.
If the Maxim machine gun were to be exposed too early, not only would countries begin to imitate and massively equip with it, but their armies would also be prepared for machine guns.
Carlo clearly understood which strategy, surprise or anticipation, would lead to significant success. This was the reason he dismissed the idea of selling the machine guns.
Sacrificing Spain’s advantage in the army for the next few years for a small income was evidently not a wise trade.
The existence of machine guns should only be revealed when the Spanish Army had to respond to enemy attacks. By then, Spain could also leverage excellent machine gun technology to make considerable profits by selling them to all the European Powers.
During this period, Spain should strive to develop more stable and powerful machine guns.
As the saying goes: show one generation, equip another, hide a third, and develop a fourth. At present, the most advanced machine gun in Spain is the Maxim machine gun. If it could remain confidential, it certainly should.
Once Spain had the second generation of more advanced machine gun technology, it might consider selling the technology of this current, now outdated generation.
Undoubtedly, European Powers would be interested in such high-firepower weapons. If it could be exchanged for other military or technological needs of Spain, or other scientific and technological advances, it would indeed be a profitable trade for Spain.
Currently, the main weapons in the army equipment are rifles and artillery. Although Spain’s rifles and artillery aren’t top-tier, they at least rank among the best in Europe.
Including machine guns, Spain’s military industrial technology ranks at the forefront in Europe, which is the source of Carlo’s confidence.
If Spain could maintain its lead in the era when tanks and aircraft emerge in the future, claiming Spain as a military power would invite no objection from other countries.
Before Spain’s population increases, such methods are indeed the only way to compensate for the numerical shortcomings.
Other European Powers could mobilize armies in the millions, while Spain could only muster up to a million, and that would severely disrupt domestic production.
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