Prototype Testing Part 2

Alexander stood in front of soldiers who just finished conducting test fire.

"This one will be slightly different from the T-AR33. One noticeable difference of course is the design. It's slightly bigger than the T-AR33 and it uses different types of ammunition. The T-AR33 uses a 5.56x45mm while the T-AR47 uses a 7.62x39mm. You can see it in the bullet yourself,"

Alexander grabbed two bullets in the ammunition box and held them up to show them the difference.

The soldiers who were attention gasped and chatted with one another, sharing their thoughts about the new prototype.

"We will be testing the T-AR47 today. The same as the T-AR33. I want each of you to take a weapon, load yourself with a magazine and aim the target dummy."

The soldiers lined up to pick up the new prototype they'll be testing and head towards the firing range to prepare themselves for conducting a test.

A minute passed and the soldiers were all ready.

Before firing the new weapon, one soldier nudged one of his comrades and said something. "Do you think it's a little heavier than the T-AR33?"

The soldier held the rifle up to check its weight, then he arrived with an answer. "I agree, it's slightly heavier than the T-AR33. Not only that, the bullet is larger than the T-AR33 rounds."

"Can't wait to test try this out," the soldier let out a chuckle as he trained the barrel of the T-AR47 at the target dummy.

They waited for the signal to shoot, which is the imperial prince, Alexander.

"Fire!" Alexander shouted, giving them permission to shoot.

The soldier pulled the trigger and suddenly felt a force pushing on his right arm, forcing him to shoot higher than the targeted dummy.

Alexander confirmed by watching them, "It's a little hard to control due to its strong recoil, so you'll have to compensate accordingly," Alexander advised.

Even though it's heavier, the soldiers' impression is still very good, especially the one who fired it first. "The power of this weapon is still more than the T-AR33. I get more satisfaction from firing this weapon, it's a little sweeter to the eye."

The Chief of the General Staff was in a state of admiration. The ear-deafening burst and its penetration power and the fact they can shoot it continuously. If only the army has this weapon during the Rutho-Yamato war, they would've overwhelmed the Yamato Army and forced them to retreat, or even won the war.

Makarov's eyes flickered to the young prince, he has always been loyal to his fatherland, the Ruthenian Empire, and would do everything to protect its sovereignty and honor. When the news echoed across Ruthenia about its defeat from the Yamato, his heart shattered and the reason for it is because the former ruler of the Ruthenia Empire, the prince's father, was focused on oppressing the people who speak out to him or those who are wanting more rights.

Seeing that the prince is making efforts to stabilize the country moved his heart, and his attention to the army is truly appreciated.

He's confident that in the future, the Ruthenia Empire will have its comeback and shock the world.

"You have my respect, young prince," Makarov muttered under his breath solemnly.

The soldiers resumed firing their weapons, exhausting them with ammunition as the ejection port spat out empty shells one after another, littering the ground.

Once again, the soldiers were in a state of amazement. Though not all, some of them were stretching their shoulders due to the strong recoil of the weapon they aren't used to carrying.

After the test, they even glanced at their current service weapon, the Mosin Nagant, contemplating if it will be useful to them now that a new type of rifle is introduced.

"Okay return the weapon to where you took it from," Alexander gave his orders, the soldiers followed and went back to where they took the weapons from and stand by for orders.

Two weapons tested, two to go.

They took a quick break before starting again.

This time, they will test another kind of assault rifle, the FN FAL and the AR15.

The test took twenty minutes and once it was completed, the soldiers began picking up the spent shells on the ground and placing them in an empty box.

Once they were finished, Alexander nodded and clapped his hand to get their attention.

"Okay, we're all done here," Alexander annoucned. "I want to congratulate you all for the good work you've done for today and the time you took to test these new weapon prototypes," Alexander concluded and turned to face Makarov.

"General, we will supply you with these weapons for further testing. You can only choose one or two of these weapons to replace the current service rifle of the army. So choose what you think is the best and we'll have it mass-produced."

Though it's easier said than done, Alexander still has a long way to go to mass-produce them. Even though the current arm manufacturers can manufacture it but the production process is slow simply because the assembly line is not built to procure those weapons.

The reason why they can only choose one or two types of weapon to replace the Mosin Nagant is because the weapon that has been tested earlier has different production process and so is their ammunitions.

In order to produce them in large numbers, Alexander will have to share a manufacturing technique with his major arms manufacturer and have them adopted fast. The second is building a CNC machine. It's the reason why Alexander is rushing to build a computer prototype that uses vacuum tubes or transistors.

Not only it will help the manufacturers to build complex parts of the weapon, but it will also help them in procuring complex machinery that will be used on war machines such as tanks, vehicles, aircraft, and the like that require precision that no humans can't possibly achieve.

Programming and coding would pose no problem for him as he already has one in mind.

But that is for another day.

"Yes Your Majesty, we will choose among the best of this weapon that we think will be useful for the army."

"I appreciate that," Alexander replied and glanced at the far distance. A silhouette of a warship, possibly a dreadnought or a cruiser loomed on the horizon. Alexander turned to face Makarov once he noticed that he was looking at it.

Once he is done with the army, he'll proceed to the navy and the air force.

"Oh, before I forgot General."

"What is it, Your Majesty?"

"Can you come to my palace in two weeks along with the Admiral of the Navy and the General of the Air Force? It's about the procurement program that I plan to introduce in the armed forces of the Ruthenia Empire. I will need your counsel about that matter."

"As you wish, Your Majesty. I will notify them at the earliest notice." Makarov promptly replied as he bowed.

"Excellent, we'll be going now. Thank you." Alexander saluted.

Makarov and the soldiers nearby returned the salute, holding their rifles in their hands as they watched Alexander and his security detail retreat towards their convoy.

Alexander entered the vehicle, followed by Rolan, who sat on the front seat.

He signaled the driver and the convoy to move and they slowly took off the military base.

"So, how do you like the show?" Alexander asked Rolan with a smirk.

"It was a good weapon Sire. It's a revolutionary one that can fire like a machine gun. It will surely strengthen the infantry's effectiveness in times of war," Rolan commented, looking at the rear-view mirror.

"Well, it's just the start. We will be developing more in the future. That means a lot of work for me," Alexander said, peering through the windows.

Rolan smiled and said nothing more.

"So, Rolan. Since you became my bodyguard, you haven't seen any action, right?"

"That's right, Your Majesty," Rolan confirmed. Since he was transferred to become the imperial prince's head of security, Rolan hasn't seen any action. Most of the time, his work involved him watching over and protecting him from threats that can harm him. "But, I will pray to keep it that way. Boring is always best."

"Indeed...boring is always best," Alexander chuckled.

He pulled out his itinerary book to check his schedule. It was loaded. He has a meeting with his council of ministers and the CEO and engineers of arms manufacturers.

All in all, it'll take most of his afternoon time. Later in the evening, Alexander will have a date with Sophie to celebrate Christmas together.

"Rolan, take a detour, take me to a jewelry shop that produces the highest quality of diamonds. I'll make it special for this day."

Rolan nodded and relayed new instructions to the driver.